“We see from where we stand.” ~ Haitian Proverb

What if we noticed our judgments, opinions, rejections, dismissals, etc. and considered at least one different perspective or possibility?

 
This is one of the burning questions in my life. Changing our perspective changes what we see, and leads to new possibilities.

It’s happened to me many times, where I think I know “the way it is” and then some new piece of information comes into my awareness, or a personal experience leads me to re-examine my thinking.

It doesn’t have to be a dramatic shift. We can evolve. Just noticing where we shut down and considering other options is a big step.

* Read: Possibilities Open Up When We Shift Perspective
 

Here are some favourite quotes on perspective.

“Too often in life we pass by important things. Let’s pause, change perspective and see things more clearly.” – Sergio da Silva, Water, Mirror of the World

“In this treacherous world, nothing is the truth nor a lie. Everything depends on the colour of the crystal through which one sees it” ― Pedro Calderón de la Barca

“A photographer’s eye is perpetually evaluating. A photographer can bring coincidence of line simply by moving his head a fraction of a millimeter. He can modify perspectives by a slight bending of the knees. By placing the camera closer to or farther from the subject, he draws a detail. But he composes a picture in very nearly the same amount of time it takes to click the shutter, at the speed of a reflex action.” – Henri Cartier-Bresson

“While there is perhaps a province in which the photograph can tell us nothing more than what we see with our own eyes, there is another in which it proves to us how little our eyes permit us to see.” ― Dorothea Lange

* Read: 16 Quotes on Perspective from John Paul Caponigro
 

Photographic Exercise on Perspective

 
Photography is a tool for practicing changing perspectives. The exercise below is one we do in the Photo By Design workshop, and I believe it is useful to repeat frequently.

Pick one subject and photograph from as many different perspectives as possible – an ant’s view, a bird’s view, close-up, from a distance. Shoot horizontally, vertically, or at an angle. Try different lighting conditions, apertures, shutter speeds, etc.

This will really challenge you. I suggest that you pick a number of shots to take (say 24 or 36) – beyond what you think is possible.

As you are photographing, at some point you will run out of ideas. Pause and then keep going. This is where creativity kicks in. Play with it and get past notions of what’s acceptable.

* Read: Boredom, the Edge of Creativity
 

Has a change of perspective allowed you to see differently?