Take Another Look

by Beth Vogt @BethVogt

My husband and I delved into photography the past few years. You can credit our interest to a couple of different things.

The first would be my personal blog. Yes, that blog is all about quotes, but I pair the quotes with images, preferably my own. And now, whenever my husband Rob goes snowshoeing or backpacking or fishing, he takes along a camera and promises, “I’ll bring back some photos for you!”

Another reason Rob and I enjoy photography so much is our youngest daughter’s involvement with volleyball. Her different volleyball teams — school and club — need a photographer and, well, with my lack of depth perception, no one wants me to be a line judge.

Photographer Ansel Adams provides an interesting perspective of photography … that, indeed, every image includes two unseen people: the photographer and the viewer. And what each person sees can be very, very different. 

For instance, when I took the photo posted in this blog, I focused on my husband because it’s fun watching him take photos. But someone else looking at this picture might be captivated by the colors of the ocean. Or the clouds in the sky. Or the waves washing up on the sand. Or even how the blues in my husband’s clothes mirror the blues in water. (I didn’t notice that at all when I took the photograph.)

It’s all about perspective, isn’t it? 

There’s a life lesson hidden Ansel Adams quote and it’s this: we need to be careful not to judge a person’s heart by a single action. Of course, sometimes intentions are clearly stated by a person’s action. But then there are times when we see someone do — or not do — something. And we think we know exactly who that person is because of what that person did or said. But we could be mistaken if we’re looking at only one part of the picture … that solitary moment … or if we’re considering only one aspect of a person’s character.

In Your Words: When has stepping back and considering something or someone from a different perspective changed your opinion of them or the situation?

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Life is all about perspective - thoughts from @BethVogt on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)

Take another look - thoughts on perspective from @BethVogt on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)

Beth K. Vogt is a nonfiction author and editor who said she'd never write fiction. She's the wife of an Air Force family physician (now in solo practice) who said she'd never marry a doctor—or anyone in the military. She's a mom of four who said she'd never have kids. Now Beth believes God's best often waits behind the doors marked "Never." A women's fiction novelist, Beth's first novel for Tyndale House Publishers, Things I Never Told You, releases May 2018.

Beth is a 2016 Christy Award winner, a 2016 ACFW Carol Award winner, and a 2015 RITA® finalist. Her 2014 novel, Somebody Like You, was one of Publishers Weekly's Best Books of 2014. A November Bride was part of the Year of Wedding series by Zondervan. Having authored nine contemporary romance novels or novellas, Beth believes there's more to happily-ever-after than the fairy tales tell us.

An established magazine writer and former editor of the leadership magazine for MOPS International, Beth blogs for Novel Rocket and also enjoys speaking to writers' groups and mentoring other writers. She lives in Colorado with her husband, Rob, who has adjusted to discussing the lives of imaginary people, and their youngest daughter, Christa, who loves to play volleyball and enjoys writing her own stories. Connect with Beth at  bethvogt.com.