Sally D’s Mobile Photography Challenge: mind the cognitive gap

Edited with Snapseed, Stackables, Fused and Pixlr. Su Leslie, 2016

During a storm last week I noticed a single leaf stuck to my office window. I took a couple of photos; one capturing the condensation on the window as well.

I’ve been messing around with both images; trying out different filters, and double exposures in a couple of Apps (Pixlr and Fused).

Double-exposure; leaf on glass. Edited with Snapseed, Fused, and Pixlr. Su Leslie, 2016

While I’ve enjoyed playing with the various tools, I’ve also felt some frustration at the results. I know from experience that my learning always proceeds like this; initial enthusiasm followed by a period of confusion and frustration as my abilities don’t match my expectations.

Double-exposure; leaf on glass. Edited with Snapseed, Fused, and Pixlr. Su Leslie, 2016

Generally, reflection and time away from the problem help me process what I’ve learned, figure out what what’s bothering me and, if I’m lucky, work out what to do next.

This stop-start, round-about process of learning and assimilating used to really stress me. I thought I was the only person who wasn’t “getting it” in a straightforward, linear way.

Then a few years ago I did a degree in library science and discovered there is a whole literature on how people find and process information. What I’m doing — what we’re all doing — is sense-making. Odd how naming something legitimates it!

Edited with Snapseed and Stackables. Su Leslie, 2016

As for my leaf. In the end, while I like the colours and textures of some edits, I really just prefer the pared-back shot above. What do you think?

This week for Sally D’s Mobile Photography Challenge (at Lens and Pens by Sally) the focus is on editing and processing.

PS: The post’s title references Professor Brenda Dervin’s work on sense-making — and of course the wonderful London Transport public service announcements.