Carabiners

As photographers we see the world differently than other people do. Were we born seeing the world this way or did we develop a different way of seeing? Either way we see things that others often don’t. I was out with the Rappahannock Area Climbers Meetup group last Thursday getting ready to climb Rappahannock Rocks, a local climbing spot a few minutes from downtown Fredericksburg, VA. Keith from River Rock Outfitter was getting the gear ready to set some anchors for our climb when he took a handful of carabiners from his pack and let them spill out over the rock. He was concerned with making sure that the anchors were set correctly and never paid attention to the way carabiners looked. As he said later, “That’s why we bring Vincent!”

I feel it’s my job as a photographer to see differently, to notice those things that others don’t. Seeing differently is a unique perspective we bring to making our photos. Have you ever been out with a group of photographers and after everyone has shared their photos you see things that you would like to have photographed but never noticed? You might have been standing right next to it. You may have even looked right at it and it never registered. If we aren’t born with a different way of seeing we can certainly develop one. The more we make photos the more we develop our unique way of seeing.

Technical Info: Ricoh GR Digital 4, 250 ISO, 1/100 sec., f 6.3, 6mm (24mm equivalent)