Close to Home: Angles

Last week’s photography challenge, A Different Angle, made me realize I’d fallen into a rut, in photography and in life.

As a photographer, I was looking at things within a foot of my eye level. I was going for the easy stuff: flowers, trees, and old houses. Looking lower to the ground last week, I saw bushes and little flowers and critters that I would have otherwise missed. Looking up last week, I saw beautiful blue sky and white puffy clouds. The challenge was a good push to change my way of looking at the world.

In my daily life. I’ve been feeling a bit bored. Now I’m challenging myself to see things differently. What can I do here that I wouldn’t be able to do on the road? Admittedly, it’s hard because I’d usually answer with “see new movies on the big screen, eat fresh sushi at Dragonfly” and so on. Lockdown means none of those things are available so what else can I do? 

Ah, I can finish the photography class I started way back when (last January feels so far away, doesn’t it?). I can order a pair of shoes and have the luxury of getting them delivered without figuring out a post office near me. And I can easily return them if they don’t fit.

I can read the paperback books I’ve bought in my travels; I can’t resist a good bookstore. And after a Zoom session with fellow writers and a long conversation with a writing buddy, I’ve decided to play with Flash Fiction/Non-fiction. Who knows where that will lead?

This time next year, I hope I’m back on the road, exploring new places and photographing new things. Until then, I’ll remind myself to go high, go low, look around, and see what I can do where I am now.

Look at situations from all angles, and you will become more open.

Dalai Lama