Visual Make-Believe

Zinnia under Glass © Harold Davis
Zinnia under Glass © Harold Davis

In a previous story, I noted the importance of looking behind one. Commentators added the great suggestions of looking up and down as well.

A corollary to having the kind of “hungry eyes” that looks around the 360 degree world is to learn to exercise pre-visualization skills. A good way to start is by practicing visual make-believe. In other words, stop to consider what happens if you try something. Even if it is not something you would normally try. Particularly if it is not something you’d normally try.

Case in point: The frosted glass pane in the upper half of our bathroom door was probably added in the 1940s or 1950s. I found myself wondering what it would be like to photograph a flower through the glass. What if I taped a flower behind this glass, opened the door to maximize the light on the flower, then used a macro lens to shoot the flower through the glass? The results are what you see, with minimal post-processing.

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