The Way We See Things

Mason and I have been having so much fun with our new Lensbaby Omni filters. It is ENDLESS fun, perfect for our shared approach to photography, and perfect for the way we see things. Read on to see what I mean…

Process vs Product

Mason and I both love the process of creating art, more than the product. The same is true with his Lego creations, which I argue are art, too. Perhaps this is even true of my writing? In any case, it is 100% true about how we approach photography. We can each grab a camera and get lost with it for hours. And then we have the best time editing together, seeing what more we can create, how far we can push an image.

The Way We See Things

We have a similar vision and imagination. We don’t really see things as things, concrete to photograph as they are. Instead we see the feelings they evoke in us, the abstract, the colors, shapes, possibilities. Even my purely documentary image of the family taking apart the Christmas tree went beyond the tangible – I used my tricky Velvet 56 lens with the rainbow filter wand attached to give it the glow and connectedness I was feeling with everyone participating. Even the cat helped – he was playing in the tree bag with Willa.

Today’s images reflect our interest in portraying our unique vision. While I was editing some of my own images, Mason grabbed my camera and started playing with the Omni kit, testing out various wands and colored filters. It’s like the best rabbit hole ever, pandora’s box with the most incredible gifts inside.

Lensbaby Omni

If you’re wondering what this kit looks like and how it functions, this video will give you a better idea:

Every image in this post was taken by him (except for the one with him in it, a BTS snapshot I took with my phone) and we edited them together.

The image at the top of this post is a composite of four images he took from the same spot, the view from my desk. In the editing process, I liked the colors and layers he achieved with the wands and thought it might be fun to put them all together as one. Then we played with the various blend modes in Photoshop until we found our favorite – the image that you see. Can you find the shamrocks in it?

This next one I’m calling DupliCat. Snowy is The World’s Most Awesome Cat Ever and sometimes we talk about cloning him. Not really, but we have actually looked up the process. It is insanely expensive and probably not in line with our personal ethics, but it is interesting to learn about. In any case, problem solved because Mason has successfully cloned him, all in camera, no double exposure.

Well into blue hour, I was washing dishes, looking out the kitchen window at the deepening blue sky, fresh snow, and icicle lights on the house. It stopped me in my tracks to see the colors and shapes colliding as they were. I called to Mason to come see, then climb up into the sink to shoot it. He saw EXACTLY what I did. This.

Here is the BTS. Do you see the way we see things?

How Do You See Things?

We explored this a bit as we wrapped up Project 31, but take it a step further. Do you see the concrete, or do you see more/different things? There’s no one right/better answer, it is simply curious to pay attention and notice.

PS – Today’s post is number 300.

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