Signals

Week 27

Signals

July 8, 2011

You and me, we look for signals to tell us what to do. We were taught that growing up. From crossing guards and then traffic lights telling us to go or stop, to toasters and coffee makers signaling our pop tarts and wake-up juice are ready, we have all kinds of systems in place to tell us what decision to make and when. We look for these in the larger context of living our life as well, and although there may be no blinking notification or alarm that it is ok or not ok to take that new job, continue in that challenging relationship, or make some other life-impacting decision, we nonetheless use and want a signal to make it "ok".

So what happens when we get mixed signals? What if the indications say go AND stop? well, I suppose in this case we use common sense. If you ran across the situation above at a stoplight, you would stop, use caution, and if clear, then go. Simple, right? Well, I think we have to do the same in bigger decisions. When we are getting mixed signals, we can't be afraid of what might happen. We can only make the best decision with the information we have, and trust in that decision. Anxiety doesn't help, and we can't know what we don't know. If we go through life stalling because we don't want to make a decision until we are sure about the results, we miss out on a lot of living.

Consequences? Sure. Sometimes good, sometimes not so good. But repercussions will be what they are, not because you didn't try to make the best decision with what you were given, but because despite our best efforts, we're just not in control. :).



Image above taken with Canon 5DMII, 24-70 2.8L lens, 6 sec. @f11, ISO 100

Explore!

Week 49

Explore!

December 7, 2010

These days, when I make plans to go and see some spectacular aspect of nature, I generally have some photography-related goal in mind. Every time I go though,  I'm reminded that just being there is its own reward, that the experience of seeing and exploring is worth the trip on its own accord, even without a single photo. I'm simply fortunate enough to have a camera I can bring along....

On a recent trip to Natural Bridges SB, I captured incredible photographs of this last standing bridge at the beach, as well as some truly humbling sunset images. The image above, however was one that especially struck me. This man was showing his little daughter of 4 or 5 around the beach, exploring the rocks, and no doubt, the sea life to be found in tide pools in the nooks and crannies of this giant formation. They were out there to share an adventure, explore and experience the creation they are a part of.

I've nudged you in prior weeks to get out and enjoy the world around you, to find adventure in your surroundings, and I'd like to say again... GO! There is so much out there, and it's not far. You may be in your living room right now reading this post, and I can guarantee you that within 30 minutes or less of where you sit is something incredible to see. Maybe it's a forest, maybe it's a beach or an old farm or park. Perhaps it's an urban discovery waiting for you to stumble across. Either way, I urge you to stand up, put on a jacket if it's cold outside, find someone to share the adventure, and put one foot in front of the other to see what you can find. 

Image taken with Canon 5DMII, 24-105 4L lens, 1/25sec @ f5.6, ISO 400

...in the Details

Week 38

...in the Details

September 22, 2010

Last week I found myself on Carmel Beach in Carmel-By-The-Sea, and looking down. There are lots of interesting subjects to photograph here - birds pecking for morsels in the sand, the beautiful Pacific crashing against the beach, famous Pebble Beach Golf Links and a wide variety of people there as tourists or enjoying where they live. What drew my attention though, was the sand. It wasn't especially different from sand on most American beaches as far as I can tell, but it wasn't that intriguing me. I was thinking about how incredibly intricate the individual grains are.

Now if you're like me, you don't often think about sand in terms of the individual grains. The image above was composed with the idea of allowing for context and identification, but also to show a level of detail not usually observed. You can see the extensive variety of colors and shapes and relative sizes the individual grains represent. Many are similar, but none are identical.

I think we frequently consider people this way. We assume because an individual is part of a people group, they are like all others classified in that people group. The truth (if we pay attention and look closely) is far from this idea. Sure, there are commonalities in culture, activities or physical features at times; but each person, each grain (if we pay attention) was created and molded uniquely and cannot be replicated. My hope is that we would keep this in mind when we make judgments on others that we think are justified. After all, what people-group are you in? What are the things you think are mis-understood about your people-group, and about you?

image above taken with Canon 5D MII, 24-105 4L lens, 1/1600 @f4, ISO 100