Where You Sits is How You See It!

Nygren Wetland Pelicans Spring 25 

During my college days, I had a philosophy professor use the expression, "Where you sits is how you sees it!"  He used it on the opening days of class when speaking about the gray areas in assigning student grades, but it was very appropriate for the content of the course where we were introduced to different philosphers from different eras and studied their world views.  It has been a statement that resonated with me after all the years reminding me about my relationships with people and their ideas.

What initially motivated me to write this blog was my participation in a 52 weeks photo project where I committed to creating one photo per week responding to some loosely interpreted subject or concept.  I think the idea of such projects is a good one because it makes you practice your photography each week and depending on the theme for the week, it can push you outside of your comfort zone. The downside for me was that it made me feel like I was in competition with others or even with myself to produce something better and more creative each week.  I discovered that when I focused on trying to produce a beautiful image (product) to share, it came at my expense in experiencing photography as a personal expression.  In other words, I was looking for a specific thing to photograph and ignored my own feelings and thoughts as the scene unfolded before me.  I lost the wonder within the moment by not being fully available to the present.

The photo for this week is my interpretation of a drab spring scene at the wetlands this past Wednesday.  The photo is not intended to be an actual record of the day, but what I experienced, felt, and remembered about the moment.  The texture I added in post processing flattened and subdued colors of spring which were trying to emerge from winter's chilly grasp.  A pod of pelicans flashing through the frame added light and vitality to an image that otherwise would have been another windy and dreary, early spring day.  

PS:  (For those of you who remain strict adherents to the product side of photography, you have likely noted that there are an even number of pelicans {8} which breaks the ridgid rule of odd numbers specifying the proper amount of birds, racoons, or possums allowed within a photograph.  God, forbid that there would have been five or nine birds within this frame -- that would have just ruined my day.)  "Where you sits is how you see it!"