Point of view

Photo Randy Vanderveen, The orange needles of tamarack trees provide a splash of colour in a mid autumn aerial view of land south of Grande Prairie. Tamaracks are coniferous trees that lose their needles each fall and grow primarily in swampy areas and are often harvested for use as fence poles.Photo Randy Vanderveen, near Edmonton, Alberta An old building sits as a solitary structure in the middle of a field already worked up for fall. A change of view can often yield a new look to photos.

When I was first starting out, one of the suggestions given to me was to take the readers where they can't go themselves — or don't go.

Often an aerial view or a worm's eye view of a scene opens up a whole new way of seeing things. Patterns emerge, the dominance of a subject in the frame changes and it provides an opportunity to catch the eye of those looking at your photos.

These three aerials taken on a flight from Edmonton to Grande Prairie demonstrate how different things can appear.

The final photo is one we all can relate to. When we are at street level in our neighbourhoods the pattern of streets, repeating roof shapes, and the scale of things aren't as evident as they are in the air.

On a side note for those interested in photography remember the camera you have with you is always the best one. In the case of these photos they were all taken with a point and shoot and while the quality isn't as good, just the fact that I had a camera allowed me to capture these frames. Without a camera I would have nothing but what I remembered — and when you have a short memory like me that doesn't always amount to much.

Photo Randy Vanderven, The pattern of streets, houses and yards becomes evident from the air. When on the ground it is often a case of not seeing the forest for the trees.

This can also be true in our day to day lives. Often we are so focussed on things that are happening around us or the day to day routine, we fail to see the big picture and God's plan for our lives.

Sometimes it is essential to try and look at things from another point of view to put things into perspective.