A New Perspective

Even exciting and fun vacations often have periods of boredom. Right now is such a time period. My family and I have traveled to Tucson to visit my parent’s friends, the Koechle’s. Their children no longer live at home as they have gone to college. All the parents are talking about old times, while my brother is camped out on the computer. So I am left to find my own entertainment.

Wandering around the house, examining possible activities, I come across the family digital camera. I know how to use it and what all the buttons do — “zoom in, zoom out, focus, night pictures, flash, macro — the macro button, that button with a flower on it that takes close up pictures; it rarely gets the privilege of use. So, I decide to take a picture, and the couch fabric becomes my subject as it is closest to me. Click, that is a cool picture! All the threads go up and down, weaving in and out in an intricate pattern.

The color is highlighted from the ceiling lamp, and it is actually slightly metallic. It is really quite interesting to look at. Click, click, wow!  What a wonderful button to find!  I can now take pictures of objects from just a few inches away, seeing all the minute details of which they are composed.

Amazement floods into me. Suddenly everything is different, with a whole new aspect to be explored, like seeing everything again for the first time. Instantly, an ordinary day of boredom has become a day of life-changing personal discovery.Beginning to look at things more closely, I notice colors and textures that I have never seen before.

I roam the house for potential photo subjects, ordinary things — tables, tile, fabric, and fruit — that will get their close-ups and become new.  My pink flip-flops suddenly become a point of interest. Of course I have seen them before, but have I ever really looked at them? They are fluorescent pink, made of foam with a grayish-blue foot print from repeated steps.

There are little cracks here and there and faded white letters printed on the heel that used to say “Exhilaration.” The bottom has wavy ridges for traction, worn down and gray and a little frayed at the edges. The straps have rows of clear, cube-shaped beads sewn on in rows that sparkle and shine in the light. I never really noticed those things before.

With macro I gained the ability to capture those details through my perspective with the satisfaction that I can keep them forever if I wish. My search of the house continues to the kitchen. An orange strikes my attention.

Examining the surface, I snap a few shots. The glossy orange skin with its dips and wrinkles and tiny green spots contrasts spectacularly with its sharpness in the foreground against the blur of the background. Now, what else — water droplets? Light refracts off those small shimmering shards of water, captured, poised in midair. They are so beautiful. Another picture seems to be in order —  the carpet would be neat.

The strands spiral upward to fuzzy ends, and the detailed work of the pattern and color and the variations are clearly visible. The necklace strung around my neck claims a new position on the counter as my new subject. Its swirled silver design is so radiant with its lime green gemstone sparkling. Dots of light reflect off the shiny silver surface while deep shadows engulf the lower half. Flecks of color spark in the gem. The clarity of the picture fades as the pendant becomes farther away and more out of focus making elegant contrast.

The possibilities are endless, all because of a magical little button with a flower on it. Vacations are full of opportunities and new experiences. Even those that seem quite mundane can hold an unexpected treasure of knowledge and fun. This new outlook on life stemmed from a seemingly dull vacation. Now I seek the beauty and design in everything as my ongoing investigation of the world continues, and I can seize the images and keep them for eternity.