Perception Is Everything

Perception is half the challenge, when you are in the process of trying to creating interesting images. Often when you go out to take a photo you'll get something that seems amazing, but to anyone else it's just another photo. A fitting statement for this phenomenon would be the old phrase, "one mans garbage is another mans treasure." Part of that is the emotion attached to the images we make; that is, the memories of the moment, that other viewers will never experience just by looking at the image.

In the images below we see two totally different stories, one that appears to show rejection, and the other that shows a close relationship. At least, that's the perception that is transmitted. It's not just what you take photos of, and how you feel about them, but what is happening in the image that affects perception. So, what is the real story behind these images? Both images depict the same turtles, but were taken four minutes apart.

I enjoy the second photo of the turtles more than the first, but someone else might think otherwise. Part of that may come out of how I processed the two images differently, or the direction the turtles are facing. I don't think there is anything special about either, I simply made the images to document one of my first encounters with this type of wild turtles.

I've also twisted the perception of the viewer another way, the order in which the images are presented. The second image was taken first. Just something to think about when you view images. Keep these things in mind, whether planning how to present your own photos to someone else, or when you are viewing other peoples images. Bloggers, newspapers, and presenters use all these tools on a regular basis to convey messages in the way that they want you, the viewer, to understand them. Remember, perception is everything!