I am not a photographer, but I’m really enjoying my new underwater camera. I like to view life a bit differently (or at least I like to think that I do) and I don’t want to be like everybody else. I see myself as a pioneer in many areas.
Until recently I had only used my camera in a swimming pool or the sea, but last weekend I had the opportunity to take some photographs in a lake. A lake is VERY different, the water is dark and brown and the lighting is difficult. It is much harder to see things unless you have the light shining through and then only if the bottom hasn’t been disturbed. The lake was a bit dirtier than usual because of the recent rains.
We had been swimming for some time and the sun was setting and so I thought I would try to get a shot of the sunset from under the water and see what I could see! The result is the picture at the start of this blog. It got me thinking about perception and perspective and I had a discussion with two friends about their understanding of the words. One friend described it like this: The angle of your perspective will determine your perception.
I chose to view the sunset differently that day. The lake was dark and murky underneath and there wasn’t much to see, but when I looked up I got to see this stunning sunset in a way that few people will get to experience. I was in the water (a place where I am most free) and saw a glimpse of nature in a totally different way to ever before.
Often we find ourselves in a situation which may be really tough or unpleasant but sometimes we just need to change our perspective, take a step back and view it from a different vantage point so that our perception of the situation changes.
I was chatting to a friend recently about training. I had mentioned that I was taking a friend to compete in her first Dolphin Mile this weekend and he asked if I got nervous before a big race. I laughed and said that a mile is not big for me. As I said that, I realized that just less than 5 years ago, that was very untrue! I have gone from being a competitive pool swimmer racing 50 – 200m races in a pool to swimming long open water distances comfortably to the point that one mile is actually too short for me!
When I was racing competitively, the thought of swimming a 800m in training was horrendous! I thought it was a waste of time and incredibly boring! Now, the fact that one mile race is too short for me is actually quite amazing! It’s all about perspective. It will change with time and circumstances throughout your life.
The angle at which you view life and your situation will determine your perception
Just like the sun is reflecting through the water in that picture and the angles of the rays determine the beauty of the sunset throughout the water, the angle at which you view life and your situation will determine your perception and if viewed positively, could turn into something beautiful.