Puddles and Perspective

I've just started a new project where I'll only be using my iPhone to capture certain images. I'm going to do all my editing with apps and I'm going to be teaching my collaborator on this project how to do the same thing. My collaborator and I agreed on 30 topics that we're each going to be shooting in our own way. One of those is 'reflections.' So, I thought I'd look back at one of my favorite iPhone photos from a trip to Nicaragua.

While walking to a downtown area for some coffee after a light rain, I found this great shot waiting for me in a puddle. I stopped to take a few photos and my friends wondered why I was shooting the ground. Just like the story about the mop, my friend Tony asked me what I was taking a picture of. I brought him back to the site and showed him the cool reflection. Sure enough, on another trip with him, I found Tony taking photos in puddles! 

I absolutely love helping people see things in a new way. Photography is about pushing our boundaries. It's about exploring the world around us visually. It's about trying something new and not caring who sees you. 

I believe that photography can help us have perspective in our lives. Think of any discussion, argument or time in your life when you've had to be persuasive. Whether it's about how to spend money, a political or religious topic or simply where to eat dinner, we all have to be persuasive. Getting to the resolution you desire is not about winning the debate. It's about getting people to see your puddle. A gifted communicator is able to help people see their point of view and what life would be like by going with their vision. 

Was it awkward to crouch down and take a photo of the ground? Yep. Were there other people wondering what in the world I was doing? Probably. But, was it more gratifying to get the image I wanted and help a friend see things in a new way? Definitely.

Here's to the next puddle.