Photography is my 6th sense

I know, I know – "Photography as a sense? What the hell is she talking about?!”

But that’s how I think of it. My 6^th sense (I know I must have one, right? - they say all women do…) has very little to do with ESP and such stuff… And then again, maybe it does. Let me explain…

My 6^th sense is made up of the heightened state of all my other senses… I use it to make photos. They may look like nothing special to you, but they speak volumes to me – each and every one of them. If I’m in the right mood, I can “see” photography… “touch” photography… “taste” photography… “hear” photography… and I can even “smell” photography (although sometimes I’m sure you’ll understand why I wish I couldn’t!)

Just try this:

1) Take your camera and turn it on

2) Place yourself in front of something you want to photograph… or just take a snapshot of ;)

3) Close your eyes

4) Feel the camera in your hands (you’d better know by heart where the shutter button is by now… ;)

5) Feel your lips with the tip of your tongue (somehow, I believe you’ll find this bit either very ridiculous or highly erotic… either way, it’ll tell you a lot about yourself!)

6) Listen carefully to your surroundings – if you try hard enough, and assuming you’re at home, you’ll be able to hear what’s going on in your neighbour’s bathroom – (quickly) filter that out and direct your attention to the world outside your window, for instance… even if traffic noise is all you get, I'm sure you'll thank me for the heads-up ;)

7) Now, forget all about your neighbour’s bathroom (I mean it!)… and take a deep breath

8) Hold your breath, focus on what you want to shoot (no, not your neighbour… the stuff you want to photograph), gather your now heightened senses (all 5 of them) and combine them into a 6^th sense… and breathe out as you press the shutter button.

Tell me, what did you get? If nothing else, a very different photo from the one you would have taken with your eyes wide open… not better, not worse – unique. And yours – a reflection of what you felt when you took it.

Well, I invite you to try this exercise and let me know what you came up with… I invite you to let me know what you felt during the fifth step of this exercise ;)

Keep chasing the light… I will catch you later – trust me, I will

Tags: sight, hearing, taste, touch, smell, photo, photography, blog, 6th sense, feeling, CarlaFrancisco