Learning To See In New Ways

“Living is easy with eyes closed….misunderstanding all you see.” — John Lennon

I give full credit to a tiny, beautiful fish — a blue reef chromis — for helping me to “see with new eyes.”

A few Septembers ago, I was snorkeling in clear blue Caribbean waters, determined to photograph the elusive blue chromis I had seen the day before.

I swam out to the coral reef and treaded water for a long while until the little blue chromis finally appeared out of a small crevice in the reef. 

I took a big breath and dove deep to get a good, close-up shot.

But the chromis swam quickly back into the crevice again, and I missed the shot.  I tried again and again.  Finally, I dove at exactly the right time to take a perfect close-up.

With a click of the camera, I thought to myself – “Yes! I GOT it”!  Then with one flick of my flippers, I quickly turned and began swimming back toward shore — mission accomplished.  

But as I began my swim, I immediately felt a sense of my own folly and arrogance:  I had been so intent on taking that photograph, I hadn’t really even “seen” the chromis.

I might as well have had my eyes closed.

In her new book Eyes of the Heart: Photography as a Christian Contemplative Practice, spiritual director and photographer Christine Valters Paintner offers an alternative, contemplative approach to the act of taking photographs as a way to pay attention and receive the “grace and generosity of life.”

“Our common language for photography is that we ‘take’ photos, and this is actually how we, as a culture, approach much of life,” says Paintner.  “But instead of ‘taking’ photos when you go out into the world, try becoming aware of how you are ‘receiving’ them as gift, and this will shift your awareness and how you move through life.” 

Crazy as it sounds, I turned back around to look for the chromis again that Caribbean morning.  This time, when she emerged from the reef crevice, I dove down to really see her.

I was astonished at how quickly my look became a gaze of awe and wonder. The blue reef chromis is an extraordinarily graceful and beautiful fish. A wave of real gratitude came over me. 

And I felt suddenly compelled to say,

“… Thank you.”

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(as previously published in The Bucks County Herald)

photo credit: ryanphotographic.com