Recently I was sitting the shop at Village Artisans, one of my art galleries that is in the well-known Yellow Springs, Ohio.
It was a typical Saturday with a middle few hours of a frenzied buying that eventually levels out for the evening.
The day was nearing its’ end and I hadn’t seen anyone stop in for about half an hour until one gentlemen walked in announcing “Well Ryan Taylor, where is your work at?” Presumably reciting from a visible name tag on my shirt.
His tone sounding almost disarming as if we had been friends for years, which was not quite the case. Seeming familiar, I simply answered followed up with a response.
“Yes my work is in the back room or annex, on the wall you face as you walk in the right.”
Typically I use these moments to follow them back there to talk more about my display, prints and framed pieces there. So I leapt from my chair long after he was at his destination, as if I had anything else important to do.
“I absolutely love that this one! It just speaks to me” as he points out an 8.5×11″ canvas print of a yellow autumn leaf. This particular piece was front and center along my display wall.
I began explaining how most of my work is by that of “found objects” or items found untouched and photographed accordingly. However this particular piece was staged and artificially constructed purely for artistic sake.
He follows up on his last statement by assuring “no what I like about it is that you saw something different here that anyone else would pass on by and ignore. I can definitely tell from this one, it’s an intuitive sense.”
It’s very interesting hearing this out of your own head, it made perfect sense!
Photography as an art form and a creative muscle is one in which we train our eyes to view the world through a whole new lens.
This reflex to create a photograph, one that others may pass by or lose sight of.
And so now I challenge you, the reader, to “see” differently.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re a casual hobbyist a smartphone or a seasoned professional. The gift of vision comes in many forms, and so take this gift and put it to good use.
I’d love to see what you see differently, and only what you may see.
How much of photography is truly about the “seeing?” Do you believe this is a skill that one can learn over time? Type up your answers in the comments down below. Thanks!
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