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Friday Photo Inspiration: Simple Photography Tips & Uplifting Insights, Don't get too close

  • Writer: Michael Blyth
    Michael Blyth
  • 36 minutes ago
  • 2 min read


a quiet moment to end the week with inspiration through Photography and Words


“Light doesn't ask permission — it just transforms.”


Friday photo inspiration ;“A quiet reminder that the overall you is more important than the tiny details - don’t get too close.”


Close-up of the stone face of the Nymphe couchée statue outside the Musée d’Art Moderne in Paris, with red, white and blue paint on the cheek.
“Nymphe couchée” (Reclining Nymph) by Léon-Ernest Drivier, Palais de Tokyo / Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris

Not a simple photography tip as such, but more like inspiration through Photography and Words—a mix of visual with sometimes meaningful reflection.


James Clear in his book Atomic Habits refers to the danger of examining yourself too closely, too often. You become tied up in tiny details, that no one else even notices. It's a tad like standing nose-to0nose with a painting, all you see are the brush strokes.


When you look in the mirror, don’t get too close, stand back, and check the overall impression. Look at the picture above, the grain and weathering on the stone hide the beauty of the statue.


The same statue below, looked at from further away reveals beauty not faults - perhaps you don't want to reveal as much as Monsieur Drivier did, but you'll get the point I hope,


Three-quarter view of the Nymphe couchée statue outside the Musée d’Art Moderne in Paris, the reclining female figure picked out by warm sunlight against the museum façade and a clear blue sky.

“Nymphe couchée” (Reclining Nymph) by Léon-Ernest Drivier, Palais de Tokyo / Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris - the better perspective


Do you know anyone for whom this is true, perhaps you? If you focus on the faults, you end up noticing nothing else.


If you view a picture on a wall, the 'recommended' viewing distance is one and a half times the diagonal of the picture - do the same when you look in the mirror, or at someone else. After all who wants to see the brush strokes all the time, they form the picture, they're not the picture.


So next time you’re tempted to criticise yourself (or someone else) in microscopic detail, remember the reclining nymph. Take a step back. Look at the composition, not just the flaws.


And if you haven’t signed up yet, please consider subscribing to stay connected and support this shared journey where creativity thrives, inspiration flows, and imperfections become art.



PS: Atomic Habits is a book I’d recommend to everyone.


It’s available via this link: https://amzn.to/48nTAUQ.


(It’s an affiliate link, so I receive a small commission, but I still try to buy second-hand where I can—to be a little kinder to the planet.)





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