This morning, I was thinking about my photography and how I see things. Since I

‘ve taken up photography, I find myself looking at the world as if I were looking through the camera lens. I look for the things that catch my eye. Sometimes, it’s a spot of color or a shape or the light. It could be a facial expression or a gesture. Whenever I don’t have a camera, I try to remember what I saw. Right now, I’m noticing the changes in the trees, from the bare limbs and twigs to the golden green of the new spring leaves.

Sometimes, I take pictures of things that make me curious. I found this group of rocks while tramping through the woods behind the pond. The arrangement of the rocks suggested a grave. Something compelling about the arrangement of the broken tree limbs around the rocks reinforced the idea. I knew that my son had buried his beloved dog, Pup, in those woods. I sent him the picture and asked if this was Pup’s grave. He confirmed it. I look at this image now and recognize something sacred or holy about the place. My son was an adult when Pup died. He had had Pup for nearly thirteen years. The young man who buried his beloved pet was a heartbroken little boy that day.

Photography invites storytelling. Or perhaps it’s the other way around—that storytelling invites photography. Last fall I began a practice of taking weekly pictures of the cherry tree from the back door of my house. I continued that practice throughout the winter, even when I couldn’t see any changes. Still, the photos tell the story of the changing seasons. I think I may create a photo collage of images, one from each month of the year, to tell the story of the changing seasons, weather, and moods of the place where I live.

These images in the collage are actually rather ordinary. However, they tell a story of how the world changes over time. I am sure some of those trees will someday die and fall or be cut down. The weather changes. I want to be aware of those changes and let the photos tell the story.

I want to explore other ways photography helps us see differently. I will be exploring the idea of perspective in the future.