Photography has a great way of teaching us some perspectives about life. I love how it mirrors certain truths about how we move through life and reminds us to slow down, open our minds and consider that there is always more to what appears before us.

Life is so much more complex, beautiful and perplexing than we realize, and photography constantly teaches me that.

Look at these two photos.

Are they pretty similar to each other? Or do you read two different vibes?

They have the same exact subject, yet both photos project two very different moods.

How we perceive a subject depends a whole lot on the light we find it in.

The first photo has window light directed from the front.

The second photo has window light directed from the back.

Same subject. Same surface. Same day and time. Same camera. The only difference: the direction the light is coming from.

And isn’t that true for life? When we encounter a situation, a person or an object — often we can quickly judge it to have a very specific characteristic.

But once we move to another angle, or cast it in different light, or look at it in a different environment, suddenly we perceive a completely different characteristic.

The object didn’t change. We changed.

We changed our position. Or we changed the type of lighting.

Again, another example of this:

Both pictures are a photo of a leaf on the same fiddle leaf fig tree.

They’re both taken at the same time of day, in the same location, with the same camera.

The difference: the direction of light.

The first photo has light hitting the leaf straight ont.

The second photo has light passing through the leaf from behind.

Same subject, two completely different appearances. Two different moods.

Photography is fascinating – it teaches us to slow down, take time to look at our environments, and consider different perspectives.

As we take the time to look at things from multiple angles and with varied lighting, suddenly what we perceive starts changing and expanding. As we give generously of our time when photographing, we discover new ways of capturing the subjects around us.

I’m reminded how that generosity of time and perspective can have positive effects beyond just photography.

I often ask myself: what if I applied the same generosity to the people and the experiences around me? Would I become more empathetic, more open-minded, more humble?

Would I discover new treasures that I’m not currently seeing?

Absolutely.

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Rather than always consuming content with your phone…
start creating more with it.
Phone photography is a great way of getting into the state of flow.
Which has many health benefits.
​Watch my Instagram Reel to find out how.