The Intensity of Looking

Photo by Sophia, 16, USA

Sometimes we might be feeling things but not realise or understand them intellectually. We might be confused or even scared and have no idea what to do with it. And then we pick up a camera and start looking... it doesn’t matter what we are looking at, but we can find the answer right there, in this intensity of looking itself.

The camera asks us to slow down and really pay attention. It leads us to a space in our awareness where things begin to open up and reveal their hidden properties, a space of discovery and intuition. The camera is not asking for us to always come prepared with clarity and purpose. While discovering and acknowledging an object we are photographing, we are also discovering and acknowledging something within ourselves. And the beautiful thing is it doesn’t matter whether we took the photo or we just look at someone else’s. Once we’ve seen it it’s ours...

Sophia inspired all of these deep thoughts with her image but we could also just say it’s a pretty cool photo!

Learner’s Tip 📸

Sophia achieved something very special here - notice how slow and meditative this photo is. Take the time to appreciate the depth of colour, the movement of water, the streaks of light that together put us in a beautiful contemplative state.

The composition is so flawless and balanced in the least obvious way that it’s difficult to even talk about it (look out for rough lines that break it into thirds vertically and horizontally) - smooth job!