ThirstyFish

Awareness is our state or ability to perceive, sense or be conscious of the events and objects around us. It is a level of consciousness that does not necessarily require our understanding of what we are observing. We may be partially, subconsciously or acutely aware of a situation or object. While some of us can be more aware than others, our level of awareness always fluctuates throughout the day.

What we do (for a living) can also change our level of awareness. For example, while a visual artists may naturally have a high level of awareness, those that are in law enforcement may develop a higher level of awareness. Similarly, what distinguishes a good photographer from an average one is his or her ability to maintain a high level of awareness. The photographer has to constantly pay attention to detail; whether this comes naturally or is developed through practice is irrelevant.

Photographers continually observe forms, objects and events. Even when they do not have their cameras with them, they are very aware of the activities performed by the people in their sight. Although it is hard to quantify, many photographers will readily state that "walking the dog" is one of the most unwinding and unequivocal activities performed by urbanites.

You can read about human-animal bonding on an earlier post: Best Friends Reduce Stress.