Sight...

It’s something most of us our born with and don’t think about much from day-to-day. As a photographer, it’s one of the five senses that I can’t imagine living without. There have even been days where all I do is drive and soak in as many visions as I can possibly handle until I’ve created a golden screen picture in my mind.

Merriam Webster defines sight as “something that is seen” or “a thing regarded as worth seeing” and finally, “the process, power, or function of seeing; specifically: the physical sense by which light stimuli received by the eye are interpreted by the brain and constructed into a representation of the position, shape, brightness, and usually color of objects in space.”

I guess I never thought of sight as a thing regarded as worth seeing. I’ve had looks from loved ones with cold Medusa eyes, and seen homeless men struggling to stay alive. Those experiences were sights, vulnerable sights, but nonetheless sights of this grand thing called life. I’ve seen the moon smile down on me and I’ve seen 90-year-old couples hold hands down the boardwalk. I’ve seen a lens full of wilderness and sunrises over the ocean where light and shadow coalesce as one. Vision presses to my heart. Shape, situation, shine. All things combined, the grand design is within us. What we see, we choose to see. What we don’t, we haven’t worked hard enough to make it visible.

What I’ve learned is that both vulnerable sights and “great” sights are worth seeing. Each teaches us where we are and where we must go. A new vision (whether positive or harmful) can lead us to a different direction, a different ponder session and a more honest, hard look at ourselves. That said, remember the “sights” you see. Remember the light is received by your eye which is interpreted by your brain and constructed into a position, shape, brightness and color. The “sights” you see are what makes you – you. Remember, not to take them for granted.