This is great, Erik. Some of these shots are really quite beautiful - the ones looking up at the trees in particular. This creative exercise wonderfully highlights that photography is at its best a vehicle for the art of seeing.
Erik, really fascinating work. What a difference changing our perspective makes.
In recent years I have attempted (with varying degrees of success) to apply this same concept to actions in my life. View a situation from a different perspective and see if my thoughts about it change.
I particularly love the underwater photos looking up at the trees. It is the same world but a different view. So beautiful and quite profound.
Thanks Matthew, those are my favorite photos too! Yeah, the application of shifting perspective to other areas of life is endless. Way too much for me to get into in one post! That's awesome to hear that you're already practicing it!
I have a GoPro for work, because it’s hard to find a cheap waterproof point-and-shoot anymore. I’m frustrated by its silly workflow and non-user-friendly, unintuitive menus and such. It definitely feels limited to me. The main advantages being waterproof. It’s too thick too, doesn’t fit easily in a coveralls pocket.
Turns out it gets nice water photos though, nice work.
Yep, for its size the GoPro is frustratingly hard to just tuck in a pocket! I can put up with the menus, but the hard part for me is not being able to focus it where I want.
I may be a bit biased because abstract is pretty much all I do also as an intentional immersion into liminality but I love this!
As you've discovered, the liminal mindset and the photographic process itself really helps us tangibly explore liminality when we might not be able to grasp what it look and feels like to be in such a space cognitively.
Those underwater tree images!🤩
I've had a Go Pro for over 10 years and I've never once used it. Almost sold it recently. I think I have some liminal moments to explore with it.
Great post. Thank you for the new perspective of sight. We as humans rarely get a glimpse of what the world looks like through the lens of a body water looking out.
I love these Erik. The interesting angles and viewpoints make the images quite striking and I love the shots looking up at the trees, they are really beautiful.
I am usually one for crawling around on the ground looking for photos. I love low viewpoints as they are unusual and tend to have more impact. I have never tried underwater shots though, but am quite inspired after seeing your images.
Those shots looking up at the trees are really compelling, aren't they?! That was pretty unexpected, but I love the result. A lot of what I learned in this little trip will carry over to other photography. Fresh angles should be even more interesting with a camera that has more controllable settings. Thank you, Gill!
Great stuff, Erik. I’m always inspired by the wonder with which my kids look at the world (and it has provided its fair share fodder for my writing too!).
Yeah, we have a lot to learn, or maybe just remember, by watching our kids explore! It is amazing to me that as adults we still have that wonder at our fingertips, but so easily lose sight of it.
I was having this conversation the other day, that part of our job as parents is to help ensure that our own kids never lose that sense of wonder — and the best way to do that is to practice it ourselves with them.
Whoa...those "from the bottom looking up" shots are AH-MAZING!! I'd buy those. If you ever repeat the process in summer when there's a bit more color (my decor is blue and green), I'll buy two that I can hang side by side.
This was really cool and different! The bubbles are cool too! I love that you're just out there experimenting your way through life 💛
Haha! Aren't we all kinda experimenting our way through life? Maybe I'm just a bit more aggressive at it! 😁
I thought those looking up shots were really neat, too! And, repeating this in summer is an excellent idea. I bet those colors will be really wild. Thanks Krisit!
Hey Krisit, just FYI I added these 2 looking up shots and that photo of the moon from January that you liked to my Buy Me A Coffee photo store. They are free for you to download with your "Free Gift" code.
Thank you for bringing in child-like wonder into the idea of shifting perspective.
I have also discovered that tilting a lens in a fresh way offers new insights. One winter, finding myself under towering trees in winter, I tilted my lens upwards to the sky. In doing so, I discovered a paradoxical 2D/3D effect-- not only did I see 3D tree branches, but I simultaneously discovered a 2D crisp crack of ice on a sheet of water.
One more perhaps disjointed thought: I wonder what other discoveries we might find when we shift our perspective with more abstract phenomena...what if the waterfall symbolizes the flow of time, for example? What if the trees were entities (take your pick, perhaps a famous/infamous person)? What does shifting our perspective do in this case?
Woah, I like these ideas! I tried to touch on the idea of flowing time. It was the notion that you can feel time flow by in the current of the water. Above the water, time flows just the same, but you can't readily feel it in the air. That's a notion that should be explored more!
That image of the trees in winter sounds compelling. I'd love to see it!
I know what my wife will be enjoying this week for homeschool! Great post and perspective. Embracing child-like wonder on hikes is such a great way to approach it, especially when doing it with your own children and/or as a photographer!
Erik, I am also feeling an ebbing of enthusiasm to get out and take photos - in my case, due to endless blue skies rather than leafless trees. But I am very pleased I inspired some exploring with your GoPro. The images are fantastic. In fact, I was exploring a stream yesterday, taking some close-ups of a little cascade - I am kicking myself I didn't get the action camera out! Perhaps we'll see a flood of GoPro images on Substack?
Wow! These photos are so cool! I love how this is a literal representation of the often-talked about "perspective shift", and how it helped you approach creativity with a different lens.
Yeah, I started it just as an experiment, but got caught up in what I was seeing and imagining. I'm really quite surprised by how interesting some of the photos turned out!
I told you I'd return to this post after reading it yesterday. However, I still don't know if I can fully share the experience that came to me at that particular moment.
If I could sum up what I felt inside, it would be connectedness, perhaps because I've felt this incredible fascination myself as I walked through the woods many times while exploring its beauty from different angles and perspectives. These experiences have led me to ask many questions about life and the universe, from the micro to the macro, and to understand reality in ways that aren't easy to grasp or explain. Sometimes, I feel the spirits of the pioneers who have explored before us or the energy of nature around us, like a fungi ecosystem that can be connected hundreds of miles away from each other.
Perhaps it sounds crazy like some metaphysical or spiritual bullshit, but this ethereal vibe is real and it's there. Your article grasped a part of that experience and opened the doors of perception in a way I didn't expect. It brought tears to my eyes.
From a philosophical sense, there is so much here.
1. Perhaps what I need is a change of perspective.
Yes, I think we all need this to love nature, others, and ourselves. Too many people get hung up on one view, and the world could be so much better if we saw things from other perspectives.
2. There are amazing points of view all around us at every moment.
We just need to realize this and that we can find beauty around us all the time if we truly open our eyes and our hearts.
3. Changing my point of view dramatically summoned some kind of deep magic from the earth and water. There was an enchantment here.
When we are open to new experiences or viewpoints, we can discover a peace and happiness we never knew existed.
I could go on, but I think we get the idea.
So, these are some of my thoughts, as crazy as they sound. I think you just hit the nail on the head with your observations and feelings.
Wow James, that is powerful stuff! I have an idea of the connectedness you describe. I know there is some science behind it, but I admit I don't always have it in my conscious mind. For me, it is more of a sense of the divine residing in every tiny corner of the natural world. Definitely an idea I would like to explore further. Thanks for your insights!
This is great, Erik. Some of these shots are really quite beautiful - the ones looking up at the trees in particular. This creative exercise wonderfully highlights that photography is at its best a vehicle for the art of seeing.
Yes, the abstract usually isn't quite my thing, but some of these turned out really interesting!
I agree, there is enchantment here! Shifting perspective can be very hard, but you made it easy this morning. Thank you for the beautiful work.
Thanks Brittany! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Love the suggestion of "enchantment." Great descriptor for this.
Erik, really fascinating work. What a difference changing our perspective makes.
In recent years I have attempted (with varying degrees of success) to apply this same concept to actions in my life. View a situation from a different perspective and see if my thoughts about it change.
I particularly love the underwater photos looking up at the trees. It is the same world but a different view. So beautiful and quite profound.
Thanks Matthew, those are my favorite photos too! Yeah, the application of shifting perspective to other areas of life is endless. Way too much for me to get into in one post! That's awesome to hear that you're already practicing it!
I have a GoPro for work, because it’s hard to find a cheap waterproof point-and-shoot anymore. I’m frustrated by its silly workflow and non-user-friendly, unintuitive menus and such. It definitely feels limited to me. The main advantages being waterproof. It’s too thick too, doesn’t fit easily in a coveralls pocket.
Turns out it gets nice water photos though, nice work.
Yep, for its size the GoPro is frustratingly hard to just tuck in a pocket! I can put up with the menus, but the hard part for me is not being able to focus it where I want.
Thanks Tim!
I may be a bit biased because abstract is pretty much all I do also as an intentional immersion into liminality but I love this!
As you've discovered, the liminal mindset and the photographic process itself really helps us tangibly explore liminality when we might not be able to grasp what it look and feels like to be in such a space cognitively.
Those underwater tree images!🤩
I've had a Go Pro for over 10 years and I've never once used it. Almost sold it recently. I think I have some liminal moments to explore with it.
Awesome! I really appreciate that! The experience was really like discovering a whole new realm, both of nature and photography, for me to explore.
The GoPro is very limited, but wow did it earn it's place here!
Great post. Thank you for the new perspective of sight. We as humans rarely get a glimpse of what the world looks like through the lens of a body water looking out.
Thank you Pastor Luis! It really caught me by surprise!
I love these Erik. The interesting angles and viewpoints make the images quite striking and I love the shots looking up at the trees, they are really beautiful.
I am usually one for crawling around on the ground looking for photos. I love low viewpoints as they are unusual and tend to have more impact. I have never tried underwater shots though, but am quite inspired after seeing your images.
Those shots looking up at the trees are really compelling, aren't they?! That was pretty unexpected, but I love the result. A lot of what I learned in this little trip will carry over to other photography. Fresh angles should be even more interesting with a camera that has more controllable settings. Thank you, Gill!
Great stuff, Erik. I’m always inspired by the wonder with which my kids look at the world (and it has provided its fair share fodder for my writing too!).
Yeah, we have a lot to learn, or maybe just remember, by watching our kids explore! It is amazing to me that as adults we still have that wonder at our fingertips, but so easily lose sight of it.
I was having this conversation the other day, that part of our job as parents is to help ensure that our own kids never lose that sense of wonder — and the best way to do that is to practice it ourselves with them.
Whoa...those "from the bottom looking up" shots are AH-MAZING!! I'd buy those. If you ever repeat the process in summer when there's a bit more color (my decor is blue and green), I'll buy two that I can hang side by side.
This was really cool and different! The bubbles are cool too! I love that you're just out there experimenting your way through life 💛
Haha! Aren't we all kinda experimenting our way through life? Maybe I'm just a bit more aggressive at it! 😁
I thought those looking up shots were really neat, too! And, repeating this in summer is an excellent idea. I bet those colors will be really wild. Thanks Krisit!
Yup I guess we are. Bring on summer!! Looking forward to that installment.
Hey Krisit, just FYI I added these 2 looking up shots and that photo of the moon from January that you liked to my Buy Me A Coffee photo store. They are free for you to download with your "Free Gift" code.
https://buymeacoffee.com/erikhogan/extras
No way!! Yaay! I'm going to jump over there after work...thanks for the heads-up!
Thank you for bringing in child-like wonder into the idea of shifting perspective.
I have also discovered that tilting a lens in a fresh way offers new insights. One winter, finding myself under towering trees in winter, I tilted my lens upwards to the sky. In doing so, I discovered a paradoxical 2D/3D effect-- not only did I see 3D tree branches, but I simultaneously discovered a 2D crisp crack of ice on a sheet of water.
One more perhaps disjointed thought: I wonder what other discoveries we might find when we shift our perspective with more abstract phenomena...what if the waterfall symbolizes the flow of time, for example? What if the trees were entities (take your pick, perhaps a famous/infamous person)? What does shifting our perspective do in this case?
Woah, I like these ideas! I tried to touch on the idea of flowing time. It was the notion that you can feel time flow by in the current of the water. Above the water, time flows just the same, but you can't readily feel it in the air. That's a notion that should be explored more!
That image of the trees in winter sounds compelling. I'd love to see it!
Something to think on! I restacked your post with the picture/post I referred to.
Beautiful! I'm looking forward to doing stuff like this in spring. I got the Insta360 Go 3S and we'll see what happens. :)
Fantastic! Someone mentioned it would be great to try again in the spring/summer. The colors would be amazing!
I know what my wife will be enjoying this week for homeschool! Great post and perspective. Embracing child-like wonder on hikes is such a great way to approach it, especially when doing it with your own children and/or as a photographer!
Erik, I am also feeling an ebbing of enthusiasm to get out and take photos - in my case, due to endless blue skies rather than leafless trees. But I am very pleased I inspired some exploring with your GoPro. The images are fantastic. In fact, I was exploring a stream yesterday, taking some close-ups of a little cascade - I am kicking myself I didn't get the action camera out! Perhaps we'll see a flood of GoPro images on Substack?
That would be very cool! Man, I know the frustration of unbroken blue skies. Can't last for ever, though!
Wow! These photos are so cool! I love how this is a literal representation of the often-talked about "perspective shift", and how it helped you approach creativity with a different lens.
Yeah, I started it just as an experiment, but got caught up in what I was seeing and imagining. I'm really quite surprised by how interesting some of the photos turned out!
Erik,
I told you I'd return to this post after reading it yesterday. However, I still don't know if I can fully share the experience that came to me at that particular moment.
If I could sum up what I felt inside, it would be connectedness, perhaps because I've felt this incredible fascination myself as I walked through the woods many times while exploring its beauty from different angles and perspectives. These experiences have led me to ask many questions about life and the universe, from the micro to the macro, and to understand reality in ways that aren't easy to grasp or explain. Sometimes, I feel the spirits of the pioneers who have explored before us or the energy of nature around us, like a fungi ecosystem that can be connected hundreds of miles away from each other.
Perhaps it sounds crazy like some metaphysical or spiritual bullshit, but this ethereal vibe is real and it's there. Your article grasped a part of that experience and opened the doors of perception in a way I didn't expect. It brought tears to my eyes.
From a philosophical sense, there is so much here.
1. Perhaps what I need is a change of perspective.
Yes, I think we all need this to love nature, others, and ourselves. Too many people get hung up on one view, and the world could be so much better if we saw things from other perspectives.
2. There are amazing points of view all around us at every moment.
We just need to realize this and that we can find beauty around us all the time if we truly open our eyes and our hearts.
3. Changing my point of view dramatically summoned some kind of deep magic from the earth and water. There was an enchantment here.
When we are open to new experiences or viewpoints, we can discover a peace and happiness we never knew existed.
I could go on, but I think we get the idea.
So, these are some of my thoughts, as crazy as they sound. I think you just hit the nail on the head with your observations and feelings.
Wow James, that is powerful stuff! I have an idea of the connectedness you describe. I know there is some science behind it, but I admit I don't always have it in my conscious mind. For me, it is more of a sense of the divine residing in every tiny corner of the natural world. Definitely an idea I would like to explore further. Thanks for your insights!
Someday, I hope we meet or at least connect by phone. I think we could have some great conversations. Until then, I will keep reading your work.
That would be amazing!
Great photos. Such creativity.
Thanks!