An evening with the Brentwood Photography Group reminded us that photography is about more than taking pictures. It's also about looking, listening, and discovering what others see.

On November 3rd, AbleVoices had the opportunity to share an evening of photography and conversation with the Brentwood Photography Group (BPG). We were invited to present at their monthly meeting, thanks to BPG President Martin Cregg and member Rick Borchert, who are also AbleVoices volunteers and friends.

Seven AbleVoices photographers- Ben Aguon, Bryant Welch, Charlie Burrows, Eric Wilson, Hannah Schrupp, Sam Porcelli, and Will Brim- each presented one of their ribbon-winning photographs from the Williamson County Fair Cultural Arts Photography Competition.

Last year, I shared about the yearly experience of having our photographers' work on exhibit at the fair in the blog post, Celebrating Expression, Effort, and Community at the Williamson County Fair. The ribbons recognize the time, practice, and creative decisions that went into making those photographs. But this evening offered something different: an opportunity for our photographers to share their work with other photographers, explain their creative choices, and hear how others experienced their images.

Photo by AbleVoices Photographer, Ben Aguon during a Photography Club outing to Fort Nagley in Nashille, TN.

Sharing the Story Behind the Photograph

Each AbleVoices photographer had the opportunity to stand before the group, share their photograph, and talk about what they had captured. Their subjects were wonderfully varied: a view of Nashville's skyline framed through an unexpected opening, the windshield of a vintage police car, a barber's scissors photographed from a dramatic perspective, a spinning carnival ride, a dog enjoying a day on the water, bicycles outside a rustic shop, and window washers suspended high above the ground. Each photograph reflected a different way of noticing and interpreting the world.

For our photographers, presenting their work meant more than showing an image on a screen. They were sharing their decisions, experiences, and perspectives with an audience of fellow photographers. And the conversation didn't end when each photographer finished speaking.

Photo by AbleVoices Photographer, Bryant Welch, during a Photography Club outing to Leiper’s Fork, TN.

Learning to Look More Closely

We were joined by accomplished professional photographer, Jerry Atnip, who is a judge for the WC Fair photography competition. He graciously shared his time and offered his feedback on the images, sharing observations about composition, light, visual storytelling, and the ways our eyes move through a photograph.

One particularly memorable exchange followed Bryant Welch's presentation of his photograph of a vintage police car parked along the road into Leiper's Fork, TN. After Bryant shared his photograph, Jerry admitted that he initially wasn't sure what he was looking at. He explained how his eye was first drawn to the brightest part of the image, the clouds. From there, his attention moved toward a red reflection and eventually to the steering wheel, where he noticed something interesting: there was no driver. As Jerry continued studying the photograph, he identified other visual clues. The shape of the rearview mirror, the siren, and the shiny chrome helped him recognize the subject as a vintage police car.

What made this exchange so interesting was hearing Jerry describe his process of discovery. He wasn't simply identifying the subject of Bryant's photograph. He was demonstrating how we make sense of an image by observing details, following visual clues, asking questions, and connecting what we see with what we already know.

Bryant knew exactly what he had photographed. Jerry brought a different experience to the image, and his observations offered everyone in the room another way to understand it. This was visual literacy in action.

Photo by AbleVoices Photographer, Charlie Burrows, during a Photography Club outing to downtown Columbia, TN.

What Is Visual Literacy, and Why Does It Matter?

We often think of literacy in terms of reading and writing words. But we also communicate, interpret, and make meaning through images. Visual literacy is the ability to observe, interpret, evaluate, and communicate ideas through visual information.

Every day, we encounter photographs in advertisements, news stories, social media, books, and countless other places. Understanding what we see, and recognizing that images can communicate different meanings to different people, is an important skill.

When we spend time looking carefully at a photograph, we begin to ask questions:

What do I notice first?
What details catch my attention?
What do I think is happening in this photograph?
What makes me think that?
What might someone else notice that I missed?

These questions encourage observation, critical thinking, curiosity, and conversation. They also remind us that there isn't always one correct way to experience a photograph. A photographer may create an image with a particular idea in mind, but viewers bring their own experiences, knowledge, and perspectives to what they see. That exchange between the photographer's intention and the viewer's interpretation is one of the most interesting parts of photography.

Photo by AbleVoices Photographer, Eric Wilson, during a Photography Club outing to the Williamson County Fair, TN.

The Value of Talking About Photographs

An important part of AbleVoices programming is giving photographers opportunities to look at photographs, share what they notice, and listen to how others interpret the same image. We regularly incorporate activities that encourage careful observation, curiosity, and discussion.

One example is What's Going On in This Picture?, a moderated activity published weekly by The New York Times that invites readers and students to examine a photograph stripped of its caption. Participants share what they think is happening, identify visual details that support their interpretations, and consider what others notice.

What I especially appreciate about these discussions is that everyone has something to contribute. There isn't a single correct response we're looking for. One photographer might notice a small detail that everyone else overlooked. Another might interpret the scene differently because of their own experiences. As participants listen to one another, they discover new ways of looking at the same photograph. And through these conversations, our photographers practice expressing their ideas, explaining their observations, listening to others, and considering perspectives different from their own.

Jerry's discussion of Bryant's photograph was a wonderful example of this same process unfolding among fellow photographers. It reinforced something we practice regularly at AbleVoices: the more time we spend looking at and discussing photographs together, the more we discover.

Photo by AbleVoices Photographer, Hannah Schrupp, at Tim’s Ford Lake, TN.

Photography as a Shared Experience

One of the things I appreciated most about the evening was seeing our AbleVoices photographers participating in a photography club meeting as fellow photographers. They weren't simply there to have their work admired. They were there to share their creative decisions, receive feedback, and participate in conversations about photography.

This kind of exchange is important to AbleVoices' mission of amplifying the voices of youth and adults with disabilities through photography and fostering more inclusive communities. Photography creates opportunities for people to communicate their perspectives without relying solely on words. And when photographs become the starting point for conversation, they create opportunities for people to connect through shared interests, curiosity, and creative expression.

Photo by AbleVoices Photographer, Sam Porcelli, during a Photography Club outing to Leiper’s Fork, TN.

Continuing the Conversation

We are grateful to the Brentwood Photography Group for welcoming AbleVoices, to Jerry Atnip for sharing his thoughtful observations, and to everyone who took time to engage with our photographers and their work. And we appreciate Ben, Bryant, Charlie, Eric, Hannah, Sam, and Will for sharing their photographs and participating in the evening's conversations.

The experience was a reminder that photography doesn't end when we press the shutter button, or even when we print and exhibit an image. Sometimes, the most interesting discoveries happen when we share a photograph with someone else and ask a simple question:

What do you see?

Looking Closer: What Happens When Photographers Share Their Work?