Jillian’s October 1 Post: A Traveler’s Eye

Before departing on a trip into Arizona’s Navajo reservation last year, a highly intuitive friend said to me, "Don’t forget to bring your camera. You may see something really special with the light there." "I’m headed to Monument Valley and into the Slot Canyons, so I suspect I will," I said too quickly. "No, it’s something you may not see until after you’ve taken the picture" he insisted.

Though I had taken all of the images in Change Your Life Through Travel and photography is a great passion for me, I hadn’t planned to bring my camera on this jaunt. But my friend’s tip inspired me – and ultimately added a new dimension to my trip and photography. I was seeing differently. And, in one of the often-photographed Slot Canyons, I "found" an image that I didn’t completely see until after I had made the picture: this young girl with a sunbeam from her heart.

To help inspire your journeys with a camera, here are a few favorite tips from photographers with whom I’ve had the great pleasure of making documentaries:

• "Know your subject--do research before attempting to photograph. This may involve just walking around studying the light, deciding where you want be when the light is best, or reading books, and studying maps of the subject matter," "Images of Arizona" photographer Jack Dykinga says.
• David Muench offers, "Develop a rapport with your subjects…they will talk to you."
• And Navajo photographer LeRoy DeJolie maintains, "Simply look at the world around you with the creativity of a young child, with fresh eyes always probing for sights that affect you."

What sunbeams can you find in your path?