Soft eyes technique can be a very powerful tool to help us broaden our observation skills and our awareness of the world around us. It is an approach that adjusts our visual focus so we can leverage our peripheral awareness.

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As photographers we often stare intensely at the world around us, taking in one component at a time. Our eyes dart from one subject to another. When we do this we often miss the interconnectedness of various objects… their natural flow. Using soft eyes technique can identify interesting differences in contrast, colour and texture.

When we focus too intently, we can fail to see how shapes, colours and textures can flow into one another.

When using soft eyes technique we begin by looking at a single object in the middle of our field-of-view, then relax our eyes so we can take in more and more from our peripheral vision. That broadening of our visual awareness helps to identify other photographic subjects of which we may not have been initially aware. It is making the shift from staring at a flower bed full of blossoms and competing colours, to allowing one blossom to quietly call out to us.

Using soft eyes technique can help us recognize important elements in the foreground, and how they can put themselves into a natural balance in a photographic composition.

We may be looking intently at a cluster of blossoms and miss seeing that one that creates a restful emotion as it is up against a quiet monochromatic background. When using soft eyes technique, its uniqueness stands out in the crowd.

The quieting of our visual mind allows us to see more around us. Soft eyes allows the world around us to come to us… rather than us trying hard to chase it. This can be important when in crowded public settings, rife with frenetic energy.

Soft eyes can help us see the world around as integrated flows… or interconnected geometric shapes… that have their own natural beauty and balance.

Being more aware of light, contrast, texture and lighting through the use of soft eyes, allows small details to reach out to us, cutting through the visual clutter that abounds.

Using soft eyes allows us to recognize the visual flows in our immediate surroundings… supplanting the rigors of conscious thought.

Using soft eyes opens up the world around us… allowing more visual impressions to reach us. It is one of the reasons why two photographers standing side by side at the same, initial vantage point, will create completely different images.

Using soft eyes brings the simple beauty of the world to us. All we need do is slow down, and relax our vision.

Technical Note

Photographs were captured handheld using camera gear as noted in the EXIF data. All images were created from out-of-camera jpegs or RAW files using my standard process in post. This is the 1,511 article published on this website since its original inception in 2015.

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