The Genie in the Lamp
August 26, 2012 * * * * * Posted by: guest blogger 
It was the start of another day, much like any other. My morning photo walk, my daily dose of creative inspiration.
I climbed the stairs of a downtown parking garage, the morning commute barely begun, yellow-lined spaces sitting empty, each patiently waiting for the workday to begin. The world looked different from up here, high above the streets below.
And then, there they were, right at eye-level.
A bird’s eye view of two street lamps: their delicate golden globes snaring the sunlight, the lovely curve of their silhouettes carving the bleached-white of the sky.
From this level, they were close enough to reach out and touch. Details unseen from below were now distinct - patterns and textures in high relief, shimmering in the sun. Up close, their size amazes. A magical transformation wrought by a simple change in perspective.
For many of us, our default point-of-view is shooting from a standing position, looking straight ahead. After all, it’s the easy shot, the one that’s right there in front of us. But what do we miss by not exploring further?
Sometimes we have to make the climb, up all five flights of stairs. We have to take ourselves out of our street level view and seek out the heights. Change our perspective – by moving closer, climbing higher, getting low, backing away. Whatever it takes to see things differently and shake up our pedestrian viewpoint.
Because there is so much out there waiting to be seen, waiting to be framed, waiting to be captured.
Here it is: the golden radiance of a street lamp, sunlight trapped like a genie waiting to be released by a touch. Offering up wishes and the answers to dreams.
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Our guest today, Brenda Gottsabend, comes to us from Canton, Ohio, blogging at How to Feather an Empty Nest. If you want to hear how as an IT/IS Professional she decided to just quit her secure job and jump off into the deep end of the unknown and still survived, check her out here. Thank you, Brenda, for joining us today!
Reader Comments (23)
This is a beautiful post and a timely reminder to me. Thank you so much.
It is often about changing our perspective and your photograph speak indeed of genies waiting to be released...The genie within all of us maybe? ;-)
Thank you Brenda
At first glance - I somehow thought these were some very beautiful hand-blown perfume bottles. What a surprise to find that they're street lamps! And - what a surprise you found..by seeking out that new and different point-of-view!
Thank-you so much for visiting us here today Brenda....terrific and inspiring post!
I, too, thought these were bottles of some kind...but now that I know the story they are even more amazing. Your images never cease to amaze me, Brenda! I'm inspired to get out there and look at the world from a different view. Thank you so much for sharing your gift with us here!
Ladies,
Thank you so much for your kind comments - I am deeply honored to be featured here at Vision and Verb today.
So true. One has to be up close to enjoy the intricate textures.
Very cool image, love the color & textures! Good advice to remember to shoot from different perspectives whenever possible ~ so happy that you joined us today.
welcome, brenda.
my dad cut his photojournalistic teeth at the "canton repository!" so....my heart is in your street lamps. great post.
Look what happens when we change our perspective -- such beauty in simple things! These street lamps are gorgeous!
As a photographer, your suggestion to 'change perspective' speaks as a very clear and important reminder. I also think your suggestion speaks to life as well. A different perspective often helps us understand another's point of view.
Thank you so much for joining us today, Brenda. It's a pleasure having you join us.
What a stunning picture! I have to see whether our street lamps look as pretty as these ones. A change of persepctive often reveals unknown beauties to the eye - thank you for the reminder.
What a wonderful image and reminder to go with it!
What a stunning image and I love the phrasing, "snaring the sunlight." As always, I am amazed by your vision and by your ability to draw wisdom from the creative process itself.
I think a change in perspective is important in writing as well -- to tackle a character or plot line from a completely different angle. Donald Maass writes a lot about this, about challenging your characters in startling ways to improve your fiction. It's something I continue to work on. Thanks for the insights, the shift in view.
Great photo! This is why I can end up with 20 shots of the same thing, trying to find a way of seeing things that is unique.
Believe it or not, Brenda, I just had a discussion with my 12-yr-old g'son about POV when taking pictures with his iPod...before reading this! Oh, how fun!!! Talk about serendipity. It's so true about everything. POV makes all the difference in the world...if only we can remember!
Thank you so much for joining us today. It's been a privilege to meet you here at V&V.
Wow! Had no idea these were street lamps! Great piece, Brenda. As inspirational and thought provoking as ever.
Brenda so beautiful, love your description 'sunlight trapped like a genie waiting to be released by a touch'. Lov the POV in this.
wow, just gorgeous! and yes, perspective is everything, it is so easy to forgot to look at the world from different angles and viewpoints... a lovely reminder, here.
This is a delightful image, I had no idea that they were street lamps before I read your accompanying words. And you are quite right, we miss so much if we don't look at things from different perspectives.
Yes it's amazing how a step up or down can change our perspective. A great image indeed.
LOVE this picture....have been eyeing it all the time it's been in draft :) and yes so much to see if you seek out a slightly different perspective..
So wonderful to have you join us!! I'm a faithful follower of your blog and once again you've provided another stunning image! Great post!
And a reminder that wherever we are, we need to keep our eyes open. Far too often we're tempted to assume "there won't be anything here to see". So, so wrong! (And beautiful images)