Part of my growth as a photographer has been getting over looking silly. I mean, let's face it, sometimes in order to get the perfect shot that's captured your eye, you either need to be rather brazen or perhaps do something unconventional to get it.
If you're concerned about what others might think when you're in the process of getting that picture, you probably won't even try to take it. And that's a shame. I won't say that I've completely gotten over it, but I'm better than I used to be. I do have to remind myself that photography is about capturing a moment and telling a story, about looking deeper and seeing more. This is how the viewer of our images learns and grows with us.
I had a wonderful moment when I was out on the weekend. First off I should state that in taking advantage of the amazing sunshine, I took over 200 photos. Now I have to edit and convert the best of them, which is a time consuming process. In any case, I was walking by the water treatment station in our area, which is in this very old sandstone building. Ever addicted to reflections, this one caught my eye. But the painted metal fence was in the way, so I had to get right up against it and poke my lens between the top of two bars. A man was walking behind me and I could practically feel his gaze burning holes through me! It was as if there were thought bubbles creeping out that said, "What the hell is she even looking at?" He slowed as he passed and seemed to be trying to figure it out.
I love that. It is after the beauty of photography and I think what most people who consider themselves an artist wish to achieve: making someone look, question and wonder.
This is the image that I was taking:
