The Objects We Find 

This past week while out with my five year grandson, he found quarter in the parking lot as we were entering the grocery store.  Since he is still in preschool, he didn't know if it was a quarter, dime, or a nickel and had little knowledge of its value as currency.  Currency was of little value to him since he was with grandpa today.  He knew it was shiny, and he was lucky enough to find it and best of all, it was his to keep.  In other words, he liked it for the excitement of finding something on his own and he was beginning to learn about the special joy of finding lost treasures.  

I think that feeling of delight we experience when finding something unexpectedly matures as we grow older.  Perhaps, we even unconsciously cultivate it.   Let's face it guys, how many of us biked through our neighborhood the day before garbage collection seeking what useful cast offs could be imaginatively repurposed.  As adults, how many times have we stopped at an estate sale just to see what might be found there?   Maybe finding a lost item is akin to experiencing a personal act of Providence.  

Sometimes we experience that same feeling when we find a forgotten treasure from our earlier years such as a forgotten toy or simple gift given to us long ago by a close friend or a relative no longer part of our lives.  That item once lost in our memory was found again and now holds new meaning and has even greater value for us.

My photo for the week was taken at Nygren Wetlands while I was photographing egrets.  The experience of finding this feather sliding easily across the water seemed to be like to stumbling upon a lost object.  A difference here is that I did not physically possess the object, but I knew that keeping the feather would have diminished my experience since the feather was in its perfect location drifting along on the smooth surface of the blue water on a sunny October day.  To touch it or try to retrieve it would destroy the mystical quality of my discovery by altering its context and purpose.  

For this lucky photographer, the photo reminded me of how sweet it is to find something lost and how that simple object provides excitement and joy even without possessing it.  Some finds need to be kept, some need to be set aside only to be cherished again, and some need to be left alone.  For me, my image offered a glimpse of how solace and freedom appear naturally standing apart from the many distractions which compete for my attention.  Since photography is truly a one way means of communication, I would be curious to hear if this image speaks to you.

PS   When I first took this photo I knew it had a quality about it that I liked but couldn't quite articulate.  I searched the web exploring the concept of what makes us repond to images.  I discovered a website and a blog by a creative and analytical photographer named Ming Thein.  Below, I will list his website and a reference to parts one and two of his article entitled "Photography and Psychology:   How We View Images"

https://blog.mingthein.com  

https://blog.mingthein.com/2013/10/29/photography-and-psychology-1/

https://blog.mingthein.com/2013/10/31/photography-and-psychology-2/