Through the Looking Glass

It has been said, "You can't understand a person until you walk a mile in his shoes."

True, it is hard to understand a person unless you have been subjected to the same life influences as they have. But there are different levels of understanding, and even when we think we understand "where someone is coming from," as we often say it, we still may not see things the way they see them. One reason—we each react to those life influences in our own unique way.

As a photographer, one of my great pleasures is trying to help people who view my work see things differently—to see things, as it were, through my lens. Even when I am able to do so, however, the viewer still doesn't see the picture exactly as I do. The fact is, I see things in my photos others don't see, while they see things I don't see.

We each bring our own unique perspective to every image we see.

And in that observation lies one of the principles I like most about photography. That which I see through my lens, capture in two dimensions, and share, can evoke new meaning, new significance, and inspire new thoughts and feelings in each person who encounters it.