Can taking photographs change the way you think?

Snow Petals -- IPhone photo by Ahvi Spindell

There have been numerous articles lately about how our brains work and what we can do to strengthen their capacity. Memory exercises, learning a new instrument and challenging the brain with difficult tasks have all shown to improve brain function.

But how many of us have the time, motivation or discipline to start learning Mandarin while walking the dog?

And isn’t there any easier way to grow dendrites without giving up the precious free time we have for an IQ raising game of ‘remember the black cat’?

Here’s a suggestion that will get you thinking outside the box and help you discover creative ways of looking at the obvious from a different perspective without studying um, ah – Talmud.

Use your smartphone camera or top o’ the line digital SLR and shoot a few pictures of ordinary, everyday, objects from a drastically new angle.

Embryo - photo by Ahvi Spindell

Position the camera from low on the ground or high above your subject.  Also try zooming way in on the most simple of objects… like a doorknob, boiling egg or even a stone to capture the magical.

This easy, time-efficient bit of photo exploration will have you asking questions and looking at the commonplace with a newly-minted expansive view.

Tree People, photo by Ahvi Spindell

The next time you’re zooming in on a story pitch, you just might find that a few not so obvious ideas will emerge. After all, if one can think of a new angle or creative hook to an everyday story, the chances of capturing a journalist’s or an editor’s attention vastly improve.

Then again if raising your IQ is the ultimate goal, Talmud is not a bad way to go.