"It is part of the photographer's job to see more intensely than most people do. He must have and keep in him something of the receptiveness of the child who looks at the world for the first time or of the traveler who enters a strange country"

A photographer’s role requires a heightened level of perception, an ability to notice elements in the world that often elude the casual observer. Ordinary vision might glance over details, missing subtle harmonies, contradictions, or narratives hidden in plain sight. What Bill Brandt describes is a cultivated sensitivity, inviting the photographer to look beyond the everyday’s veil, to see with an awareness sharpened by curiosity, empathy, and imagination.

Maintaining the openness and wonder of a child, who encounters the world with fresh, unfiltered eyes, allows the photographer to approach scenes, no matter how familiar, with a perpetual sense of discovery. Children marvel at the play of light through leaves, the fascinating curve of a shadow on the pavement, or the fleeting expressions on people’s faces. This original receptiveness allows significance to be found in what others might overlook or regard as mundane. In adopting such a mindset, a photographer can capture images rich with meaning and emotional undertones, speaking to a shared sense of wonder.

Similarly, the comparison to a traveler arriving in a foreign land underlines the necessity for alertness and appreciation of difference. New surroundings stimulate heightened observation, the traveler is alert to what is distinct from home, and this awareness imbues each moment with the thrill of the unknown. A photographer, regardless of how ordinary or familiar a subject may be, needs this enduring traveler’s perspective. Every environment becomes a landscape of potential images, each glance an opportunity for discovery.

This dual receptivity, the child’s wonder and the traveler’s attentiveness, is both a discipline and a gift. It calls the photographer to engage with the world actively and intimately, bypassing assumptions or indifference. Through this heightened vision, the photographer is able to reveal stories, textures, and emotions that enrich our understanding of the world and invite others to see more deeply.