Some things you have to pay for, some are optional to do so. I suggest you pay this one.

I have had the pleasure of evaluating portfolios for a photographers’ club for a dozen years or more. I thoroughly enjoy having the chance to comment on their work in ways that inform their vision and get them to thinking about their voice expressed through images. Since I have seen the work of some of the club members for years, I have had the chance to see their craft develop and trace common themes or elements of their vision.

This past Thursday, I was reviewing David’s great portfolio of dead trees…the stalwart remaining trees without leaves, looking like they came from the illustrations of a tale about ghosts in a forest. They have stood the test of time for years, decades or centuries, and, though they are no longer alive, they stand as a testament to strength and durability.

David is a good photographer and has tackled a wide range of subjects over the years. There is also a common element of his vision that keeps re-appearing in images: He tends to isolate certain elements. His vision is somewhat singular instead of complicated, and his best images are those where there are fewer elements to the composition.  I pointed that out to him, and gave examples of some of his previous portfolios as evidence of that trait of his work.

“Thank you. You’re right. And thanks for listening and paying attention.”

Paying attention. That is something we should pay.

Pay attention to what people say, to your surroundings, to the sounds of nature, to the laughter of children, to the concerns others share with you, to others’ comments made “in passing,” to music, to… you get the point. Pay attention to the moment; most of life is actually in the moments, not in the grand sweep of time.