sunday school: keep your eyes (and heart) wide open

a little message from the universe to me, Greenwich Village, NYC

Sunday School posts are technically supposed to be, well, technical in nature, at least a little bit, but if there's one thing I l've learned about meaningful photography, it's that it doesn't matter if you know everything there is to know about technique if you haven't discovered YOUR unique way of seeing the world, your very own vision.  This is what I've been exploring lately.  I currently feel like I'm going through a crash course on who I am as a person, which helps to shed light on who I am as an artist and what I really want to do as a photographer. I am getting messages everywhere I look these days, it seems, the very messages and lessons I need to peel away the self-protective layers I've grown over the years that have kept my true self from the light.

So how do you discover your own personal vision as a photographer?  How do you develop a unique way of seeing the world that is reflected in your photography?  I'm sure the answer is different for everybody.  Here are just a few things that I've personally found helpful:

• When I look at other people's photography, I take note of what lights my fire.  The kinds of images that make my heart leap are usually the kind of photography I feel compelled to capture in my own life.  For some folks, it's "in-the-moment" portraits or nature or little details that can easily go unnoticed.  Whatever it might be, recognizing it in other people's photos may give you guidance on what to be on the lookout for.
• The year before I got my first digital camera, I journaled in the form of letters to my good friend who was living in California at the time.  By getting in the habit of writing down the details of what I was seeing, I unintentionally prepared my eyes for observing the world through a viewfinder and for telling a story through the images I captured.  Except for blogging, I haven't done much writing for a number of years now, and I'm just getting back into journaling with pen and paper.  I find that this habit instills in me in the practice of awareness, which helps to keep my eyes open for the images I want to capture.
• I believe that part of receiving a clarity of vision is becoming comfortable in your own skin.  This, for me, has been the hardest part, for it requires keeping my heart wide open to embrace the truth of who I am while sweeping out the lies that cloud my vision of self and the world around me.  It means letting others see who you are and hearing what they have to say.  If you're like me and have a hard time receiving kind words from others, if you give yourself permission to keep your ears and heart wide open, this may be what finally makes the scales fall from your eyes so that you can see yourself as you really and truly are.  Once you've seen that, it's bound to be reflected in how you see the world, whether it's through your eyes, your heart or your viewfinder.

How about you?  What are your tips for keeping your eyes and heart wide open to the world around you?  And please feel free to share with us what you've seen.

Comments

[Marcie]

You've put so many of my own thoughts and feelings into perfect words here. For me the hardest part of developing myself and my vision has been the 'letting others see who you are' without apology or exception.
Of late I have been letting my love of dogs and their lives show up in my images. In so doing I've found a new voice and direction..something that has both surprised and possessed me:

http://www.marciescudderphotography.com/index.php?showimage=888
http://www.marciescudderphotography.com/index.php?showimage=886

Thank-you - Sarah - for such a wonderful post.

[Alicia]

I agree with you on so many of your words. Recently I felt myself kind of slump into a creative-less hole... I wasn't taking photos... I wasn't processing photos... I was just feeling blah. So, I turned to writing and have set forth the challenge of writing everyday for the next year. I have also turned to painting, not necessarily masterpieces, but I feel like both are helping me see.

http://www.beaphotograph.com/2009/08/yellow-processing/

[deb taylor]

I take pictures for me. I shoot the moments that light MY fire, not what others are trying to force me to see thru MY lens. It is nice to be paid large sums for a location or session, but what really feeds me are the photos I take on my own private walks or self portrait Wednesdays on my blog. That is what fills my heart and soul. be true to yourself and your calling, the rest will fall into place. it has always worked for me.

[beth]

I love my camera...
I love how I look at life differently through it...always believing that I was to see things with my eyes, but now know, it's usually my heart that sees what's in front of me.
And so often, it's not until I see my photos on my computer, where I realize that what I captured is even better than I thought it was...
take the photo below for instance....I knew the clouds were gorgeous, but not incredible....
now I think they are incredible and feel like I could reach out and touch them.....

http://moredoors.blogspot.com/2009/08/its-too-muggy-here-to-open-windows.html

[Liz W]

Wonderful post! I try to stay present in each moment which allows me to be inspired. My camera helps me stay in the inspired moment. When I look through the viewfinder I find myself in a zone, I'm alert and focused and my mind is clear and free. I wouldn't feel like myself if I didn't make a photograph everyday.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ewhitaker/

[Jean M Fogle]

My eyes were wide open today when I noticed a tornado in my glass of tea ! Who would have thunk stirring some sugar in your tea could have you spending a half hour trying to find the way to capture the tiny tornado? Never underestimate the power of the heart and the eye!

http://pixels-n-pen.blogspot.com

[Jessica]

I have a daily photo blog. I do my best to take a photo and post it every single day (I'm not super strict though, I do miss a day here and there). I've found that the turnaround from taking a photo to editing it to posting it all in one day and then doing it the next day has really helped me hone my vision and figure out what I like in my photography and what I want to improve. I highly recommend it as a way to kickstart creativity and get you to bring your camera with you every where (you should! you know you should!).

http://quotidian-photography.blogspot.com/

I'd love to get some feedback, if anyone wants to come visit. :)

[Irene]

wonderful post - thank you for sharing your thoughts Sarah.

for me, it's Karen who answered that very question for me when we met in Chicago last month.
but I think the three things you mentioned in your post are very true for me too. I look for inspiration everywhere, I write a lot, and I rely on the amazing community of women writers and photographers here.

I truly cannot wait to see what images and stories will unfold for you Sarah. xoxo

[Pam]

This is my first visit to Shutter Sisters and I'm so glad I stopped by.
What a wonderful, thought provoking post.
I guess what keeps me inspired is taking a weekly "photo walk" where I just shoot things that I like, and look for things to shoot. I might concentrate on a certain color one time, or a certain shape another.
I really need to spend more time writing. Sometimes I do, but lately I've been neglecting (my blog) any writing.
Thanks for your insights.

[djbeat]

well said. several years ago - i took a trip - several months in france on my own (the first trip of my life without a parent or friend or lover). i had been journaling my way through a particularly eventful patch of life & on this voyage (it changed me on so many levels) i began to write more visually & when i returned home, i began to paint. i painted the words & incorporated them & photography in my paintings.

i think it has permanently changed how i see.
sometime i feel the words first.

this is the first time i have played with textures in ages.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/djbeat/3828519823/

[Aafrica]

i don't remember how i wandered to your nether-space. but i'm so glad i did. you have beautiful images! i admire portrait photographers. there is something intimate in taking pictures of others. you have to be brave to be so open to a stranger. thanks for sharing them with the world.