What Are You Looking For?

“The man who is swimming against the stream knows the strength of it.” – Woodrow Wilson

When we go somewhere, we are always are looking for something. When we go to the store, we typically have a list or an item in mind. When we go out to eat, the restaurants we go to determines what we will eat. When we go to someone’s home, we are usually looking to see somebody. Typically, we know what we are looking for. How often to go somewhere or hear something with an open mind? Too often we walk into situations with our minds made up. We already heard the rapid response opinions when something happens on the internet. What we hear on the internet is typically from social media, and social media tailors itself to our views. When we ask someone how they feel about something, we expect them to agree with us. That rarely works. Often times diverse people have diverse opinions. How we handle that opinion speaks to who we are. We have to shift our mindset to not look to be offended when people disagree with us. We have to be willing to hear what others have to say. We cannot treat listening to others like shopping for a specific brand of toothpaste. If it’s not there, we go somewhere else. We should stay and see what else they have to offer. It requires openness to different possibilities.

I try to be open when I go out to take photos. When I go to specific destination, I typically have a particular view in mind. Looking back I have seen that some of my favorite shots are the ones I didn’t expect to capture. When I go on walks around my neighborhood, I try to just be open to what I will see. From sunsets to people, every walk brings back a variety of photos. The main reason I take photos around town is for the practice. This summer, my wife and I are taking a trip to Europe, and I want to be ready. I want to prepared to capture every great moment, every view, and ever experience the best I can. This way, the memories last forever. These photos that I posted today, I captured while on my walks around the neighborhood. Street photography has been a great way to practice my photography over last few years. I might walk the same places, but I always see different people.