Have you heard of the travel write named Rolf Potts? I think you’d like his book, Marco Polo Didn’t Go There. Many great short stories in the book, but one in particular includes a very similar struggle as you write about here. Seeing a familiar place with new eyes.
Interesting perspective and one that hits close to home. In a similar vein, my mood when out by myself on a photo walk could not be more different to when I'm with my partner and our dogs (who I often employ as a safety blanket when taking photos of strangers - it's amazing what ice breakers they can be!). Your story makes me realise I may need to push myself a little bit further out of that comfort zone.
And it’s totally fine to have a safety blanket! I like going shooting with friends. Having a friend or two definitely helps with the anxiety and feeling loose and relaxed when photographing candidly.
But yeah, my best work has always come when I’m alone and focused. We all gotta step out of our comfort zone from time to time to improve.
I love the reminder to look around at what we see every day with fresh eyes and look for spontaneous opportunities to make beautiful memories - but we’ll only realize it if we are looking at our life experiences with gratitude and paying attention!
Absolutely! It was kinda eye-opening for me while David was here. He was so interested in everything that I take for granted that it forced me to take another look at my surroundings.
I love the vulnerability of this piece. Chiba seems interesting to me because it is completely different from where I live ☺️ but I understand the feeling that your small town is boring and you’ve seen it all already, because I see my hometown the same way. Learning to see with the eyes of an outsider is a difficult task, but rewarding.
I’ve been learning to see Chiba differently lately, and I’m spending more time exploring and shooting here. Actually, being around David was good for me. He was new here, so seeing him all excited and intrigued by our surroundings was eye-opening. He really made me think.
Good piece. Thank you for sharing your journey.
Have you heard of the travel write named Rolf Potts? I think you’d like his book, Marco Polo Didn’t Go There. Many great short stories in the book, but one in particular includes a very similar struggle as you write about here. Seeing a familiar place with new eyes.
Thank you!
And no, I have not. But thank you for the recommendation! It would be nice to read someone else’s perspective on the matter.
Interesting perspective and one that hits close to home. In a similar vein, my mood when out by myself on a photo walk could not be more different to when I'm with my partner and our dogs (who I often employ as a safety blanket when taking photos of strangers - it's amazing what ice breakers they can be!). Your story makes me realise I may need to push myself a little bit further out of that comfort zone.
Thanks for reading!
And it’s totally fine to have a safety blanket! I like going shooting with friends. Having a friend or two definitely helps with the anxiety and feeling loose and relaxed when photographing candidly.
But yeah, my best work has always come when I’m alone and focused. We all gotta step out of our comfort zone from time to time to improve.
I love the reminder to look around at what we see every day with fresh eyes and look for spontaneous opportunities to make beautiful memories - but we’ll only realize it if we are looking at our life experiences with gratitude and paying attention!
Absolutely! It was kinda eye-opening for me while David was here. He was so interested in everything that I take for granted that it forced me to take another look at my surroundings.
I love the vulnerability of this piece. Chiba seems interesting to me because it is completely different from where I live ☺️ but I understand the feeling that your small town is boring and you’ve seen it all already, because I see my hometown the same way. Learning to see with the eyes of an outsider is a difficult task, but rewarding.
Thank you!
I’ve been learning to see Chiba differently lately, and I’m spending more time exploring and shooting here. Actually, being around David was good for me. He was new here, so seeing him all excited and intrigued by our surroundings was eye-opening. He really made me think.