“Make visible what, without you, might perhaps never have been seen.”…Robert Bresson

I came across this quote on a friend’s website yesterday and it resonated with me. After all, we as visual artists and documentarians, often capture what others don’t see – and by doing so, we make things in this world visible to many – if we share our pictures, that is.

I’m often struck by the comments of non-photographers when they see my intimate studies of things – surprise, amazement, wonder. And it makes me wonder ‘how did they not see it, too?‘ But we all see differently – in terms of what we take in and process through our ‘filters’. For me, seeing the designs of our world, the intimate pieces that make up the whole, just comes natural. At times, I see the tiniest, neatest things in nature, like this bird-nest fungus growing in the mosses in southeast Alaska. Yet when I look at the work of some of the fantastic studio or table top photographers, I marvel how some of them can take an orange, a fork and a milk carton and turn it into something amazing! That takes inner seeing, imagination, and I just don’t see it for those types of subjects. Perhaps if I stayed with it long enough I might, but I’m geared internally to respond to the outside world with my inner vision.

Speaking of sharing your vision, if you own a Smartphone or Iphone, here’s your opportunity to have a portfolio of your work on it from Ifolios – and get $20 off the price, using the coupon code THARP. Check them out at http://www.ifolios.mobi. And if you want to see how one looks, check mine out by going to brendatharp.com on your smart/iphone. I’m very pleased with mine.

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Don’t forget about our workshops and tours – lots of new programs for 2011. Registrations are being taken now – with no commitment of money just yet – so get on the list before the one(s) of your choice are full! Go to Workshops and Tours

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