Feathered Clouds

This is an abstract picture of clouds, processed to bring out how it made me feel, what I saw in the original scene. In the process of making this, new ideas came to mind, and I further processed it to enhance them. The process was like a conversation with myself.

The result was interesting, and I allude to some of the things I was thinking in the text that accompanied the post on social media:

Abstract. A line of trees being blown by the wind? Something else?

The thing is, I’m pretty sure that some people, or even most, don’t see it the same way I do. They may not see the things I saw, and they may also see other things. Those views are entirely valid, in my opinion.

In other words, part of the meaning in the picture is brought out only in the response it evokes in other people. A lot has been written about this process, but there’s nothing like trying it yourself – communicating feelings and abstract ideas through images.

The whole experience is then a collaboration, a partnership, between the photographer and the viewer. While I start with some ideas, some intentionality, I don’t control the whole process.

There’s probably something here about how we see the world in general. Our own perspectives certainly give meaning to what we see, but to what extent is that a collaboration with others? Perhaps because much of what we see is from other people, they are part of the conversation. With something like a landscape photo, there may be no human influence on the subject, but our perceptions are still shaped by the experiences we’ve had with other people. To those who see purpose behind the universe itself, there are even greater conversations involved.

With all these layers, it seems we should walk with always open ears in order to listen to the other participants, wherever they may be.