Your Point of View...

   On my stay on Monhegan Island I shared the cottage with 6 other photographers.  We all had our own interests and unique point of view.  This photograph of three of them is a perfect illustration of the idea.  While we were there to photograph the sea gulls feasting on the remains of our lobster dinner one person seemed more attracted to the tidal pools.  Her main area of interest is macro photography.  You could say her point of view was the detail of the landscape, the small view.

      We all have this leaning to a particular point of view but as a contemplative photographer I try to guard against letting it take over.  You only see what you pay attention to (read the post on that subject here.)  I think the majority of my visual listening exercises or walking meditations are to over come this tendency...to open myself up to the whole of the landscape.

   When I was on a sabbatical studying creativity I learned a lot about this process of opening up to the world around you.  I found a great quote that I used in the report of my research and I want to share it with you now because it is so important to remember if we want to be able to receive the images the landscape wants to give us...

If you hunt only where rabbits
 live, all you will catch are rabbits.

    Remember that when you are going out for a day of photography. Keep your heart and mind open to all the landscape has to offer; the small view and the large view and everything in-between.  Don't let your particular point of view restrict your vision.