Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder

One of the challenges of photography is to re-create the image the photographer sees with the camera so others can see it too. In the days of film this took artistry and technical competence of a very high order. With the advent of digital photography and especially today’s high powered post processing tools it is perhaps a little easier but even with all that sometimes it just is not possible.

The photo above shows one of my favorite trees in the neighborhood. When I go out in the evening and the sun is setting behind it the golden glow of the moss literally lights up that area of my view creating an image of sheer beauty. It wasn’t until I tried to photograph it that I realized how selective our vision really is. There are literally hundreds of things I subconsciously ignore to create "my vision" of beauty. Unfortunately the camera cannot ignore all those things.

For instance, to get the best angle and “frame” the place to stand is right behind several other trees. Apparently I can see around the trees but the camera can’t.  There are also power lines, mailboxes, cars and houses cluttering up the photo that I just don’t “see” when I am admiring the view.

Beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder – literally. Although it doesn’t capture the real beauty of the image I offer the photo above for your viewing pleasure. Taken with the K-01 at f11, 1/125, and ISO @ 200 through a Tamron 18 – 200 zoom at 90mm (135mm eq).  Maybe if you let your imagination “go” just a little when you look at the photo you will be able to see what I see when I look at it.