Using your senses

"Towson University goalie Billy Sadler sits on the ground in disbelief after UMBC attackman Dom Scalzo (no.13) scored his second goal of the game during the fourth quarter at Johnny Unitas Stadium, Tuesday night. The Retrievers scored six straight goals before winning, 9-6."

Last week I was sitting in my film class and started drifting into another world.

I filtered out everything I didn't want to hear and random thoughts raced through my head like a sprinting greyhound. I had lost track of the lecture echoing in the classroom.

Then I snapped back into reality when I heard a comment by my professor.

"Have we become afraid of silence?"

While it didn't have anything to do with his lecture (OK, I lied, I was paying attention to a certain degree) this statement got me thinking. Have we really become afraid of silence?

Everyday our lives are consumed with sound. From the second we wake up with an alarm clock, to the minute we turn on the television. We listen to the radio in our cars and we talk to friends, family and colleagues throughout the day.

When alone, we are on the computer listening to albums or viewing videos, and cellphones now have the Internet and movies, not to mention music, too.

Tomorrow, catalog all the things you hear and all the time you have pure silence in your day.

Silence isn't bad and needed in today's hectic technological world.

While I've never been in one, I would think a sensory deprivation tank would be relaxing. However, according to Wikipedia, "though short periods of sensory deprivation can be relaxing, extended deprivation can result in extreme anxiety, hallucinations, bizarre thoughts, depression, and antisocial behavior."

On a lighter note, I often joke when I am in my car with others, as I will turn off the radio and say, "Let's think about our thoughts," because I don't think we do get enough silence.

Speaking of senses other than hearing, I was browsing a different professors Web site in an effort to find the office location of another. I then stumbled across a couple fascinating articles blogged on by my Magazine Publishing and former Media Law professor, Dr. Haller.

The one article entitled "Blind use cameras to capture their world" is amazing.

Although there probably have been many articles related to this topic in the past, I've never read any like it in the past.

In addition, I feel it is true that seeing isn't everything, but using your all senses helps make great images. It also helps to develop a personal vision rather than a standard snapshot.

Keep that in mind next time you're shooting an assignment or an image of your family. Don't just see it, but listen, smell and feel your away around the environment you're in.

Here is another article Dr.Haller discusses with an image.