After reading Tony Hiss’s philosophy on travel, I began to acknowledge how I was guilty of getting caught up in the negatives of traveling (like having to deal with traffic or security), and rarely slowed down to experience ‘deep traveling’. Similarly after reading R. Murray Schafer’s article about the soundscape I also have fallen guilty to acoustical overload and not narrowing in on each individual sound and the beauty that comes with all the noises around us. I usually put earbuds in when walking around not paying attention to the natural orchestra that surrounds my everyday life. By reading both of these articles, I know see how sometimes it is better to slow down and allow your senses to observe what is around and how that can be the most fulfilling.

I believe the reason for these readings was to show us, how as photographers we must slow down and not get caught up in the grand scheme of things because we will miss little pieces of beauty that make life more interesting and a photo more meaningful. For example, as a photographer we should not focus on what is right in front of our eyes, but stop, look and listen at things less obvious to make a more interesting composition. Also earlier we talked about how as students we do not know everything, and these articles really show how to discover more than what we already know/are used to.

In order to trigger a sense of wonder that is essential to ‘deep travel’ is to slow down, and stop to look at things that are less obvious in our usually rushed state. Hiss claims a person never loses that childish sense of wonder however it usually dims by adulthood. Hiss encourages to not let wonder dim and to continue to observe everything around you and finding beauty in everything. This might help when photographing because it helps a photographer observe not only what is clear to the senses but also what is not and find what is special in it.