Augment Your Reality
What’s popping, people? Today, I’m walking around Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, photographing as always and taking in the beauty of the trees. There’s something magical about mornings—a walk at dawn, a camera in hand, and time to think. Recently, I’ve been reflecting on this idea: augmenting your reality.
The Root of Augmentation
The root of the word “augment” comes from the Latin augere, which means “to make large.” That got me thinking: How can we make our lives, our reality, our world larger?
Photography has become my way of doing this. Each photograph I make puts a smile on my face, especially as the number of photos grows daily. Treating photography like a visual diary has given me a new perspective on life.
“Through photography, I transcend simple documentation and express my inner emotional state of being.”
A New Way of Seeing
Yesterday, I was working in a greenhouse, pruning plants. As I closely examined the veins of the leaves, how water flows through them, and the intricate patterns in their roots, I was amazed by the beauty of it all. Slowing down to observe these details felt almost Godlike. It’s as if looking closely at the plants brought a third-person perspective, like seeing the world from above and below at the same time.
“The trees and their branches look like lungs within our bodies, reminding me to breathe deeply and embrace the stillness.”
Motivation Through Movement
I’m always on the move, but I’ve realized that without moments of stillness, there’s no motivation. Interestingly, the Latin root of “motivation” is movere, meaning “to move.” Perhaps the simplest way to find motivation is simply to move—to get out and explore.
Embracing the Macro
Recently, I’ve started experimenting with macro photography. While waiting for the bus, I noticed the bokeh effects created by lights when my camera was slightly out of focus. It was a happy accident—a little experiment that turned into something fun. Photography, when approached playfully, becomes so much more enjoyable.
“By getting close to the small details and making them larger, life itself becomes larger.”
Subtraction as Augmentation
When we think of augmenting reality, many people jump to ideas of augmented reality (AR) technology, like Apple Vision Pro or Ray-Ban’s smart sunglasses. But maybe true augmentation doesn’t come from adding things to our lives. Maybe it comes from subtracting.
The clutter of goods, clothes, and trinkets often becomes cumbersome. By subtracting, we grow larger in ways that truly matter. It’s about stripping down to the essentials—light, shadow, and the raw details of the world around us.
“Through subtracting more, you grow larger.”
Finding Stillness
As much as I thrive in chaos, I’ve started to appreciate rest and contemplation. There’s peace in stillness. Through creation—whether it’s a photograph, a thought, or an idea—we augment our world.
“Through the act of creation, we build a new world. Photography is the ultimate driving force in my life.”
Digital Augmentation
The digital world offers a unique way to augment reality. I shoot small JPEG files, allowing me to store hundreds of thousands of photos on my hard drive. This minimal digital footprint means I can focus on creating without worrying about space or clutter.
Even this POV video I’m recording serves as a form of augmentation. By revisiting it later, I can relive this moment—almost like a photograph.
“Life becomes larger when you slow down, let life flow toward you, and remain prepared to capture it.”
A Minimalist Perspective
For me, augmentation isn’t about taking up more space. It’s not about big, blown-up prints or massive archives of negatives. It’s about maximizing potential—capturing more moments, creating more memories, and thriving in the simplicity of the digital world.
Through photography, curiosity, and creation, I’ve found a way to make my world larger. And perhaps, that’s the essence of augmenting your reality—finding the beauty in the details, the motivation in movement, and the freedom in simplicity.