We love to see familiar sights, but there’s an inherent risk.
It can lead to a rut.
That’s why there’s a remarkable value to the unexpected image, like some of those in this Gallery. They challenge our perception bias: the way we tend to see what we expect to see, rather than what actually is.
To survive and thrive in this complex world, our minds need to be increasingly nimble. So personally I’m grateful for anything that can shake me out of the rut of my customary ways of thinking. Anything that challenges my expectations, and allows me to glimpse another truth.
The great power of photography is to encourage us to look again, think again. When we’re weary and tempted to settle for predictability, when the expected is all we want to see, that’s a skill worth nurturing.
Photography can confront the inaccuracy of our expectations, making us more alert, more resilient, more human, and more humble.
And on the other hand, a photograph will sometimes reveal shapes and patterns that were otherwise invisible to us. The shapes it displays may not necessarily announce their origin, but simply pleasure the eye.
Perception of shapes and patterns is not just amusing, it’s part of our survival DNA. Engaged in contemplation, lost in perception, the busy mind both quiets itself and begins to truly see.
Click an image below to see more details.
