thinking sideways

I am extremely hard on myself so it is rare that really love one of my photographs. Perhaps it will compel me to always better myself; or perhaps it is to my detriment. Whatever the case, I felt that I needed to evolve my way of seeing. I researched books on the subject and decided on Freeman Patterson's Photography and the Art of Seeing. It was published in 1985 and I think it's out of print at this point (I bought a used copy), but the art of seeing is timeless. I can't recommend this book enough for photographers of all levels. A paragraph on the first page summarizes the book perfectly:

"Letting go of self is an essential precondition to real seeing. When you let go of yourself, you abandon any preconceptions about the subject matter that might cramp you into photographing in a certain, predetermined way. As long as you are worried about whether or not you will be able to make good pictures, or are concerned about enjoying yourself, you are unlikely either to make the best photographs you can or to experience the joy of photography to the fullest. But when you let go, new conceptions arise from your direct experience of the subject matter, and new ideas and feelings will guide you as you make pictures."

What really draws me to this book is how Mr. Patterson's statements apply to life in general and to letting go of preconceived notions of yourself and others. I love that.

But back to photography... One of Mr. Patterson's key ideas is "thinking sideways." I often get caught up in capturing what I think is the perfect image, so this idea of thinking about what you shouldn't photograph resonated with me. Yesterday I went to the park and set out to "break" my own rules of photography. Here are some of the results.

Update: I forgot to mention that all photos were taken digitally with my Nikon D700, using either a 105mm or 16-35mm lens. All photos are straight from my camera; no alterations were made in Lightroom.