We’ve seen many photo books about appreciating the small moments in life, and these moments usually focus on people – like watching a child play, or daddy giving his daughter a hug, or wife sipping her morning coffee. What if we turned this idea on its head? What if, instead of focusing on people, we focused on things? Crazy? Maybe. But I just came across a photo book this morning that opened my eyes to some VERY creative possibilities.

The book is called ‘ Through the Camera’s Eye’ and it focuses on everyday objects that one collects over time. Stuff like magnets and rubber duckies and Chess pieces and miniature toy cars. In her book, ‘ToriC34’ arranges a collection of these things in such an artful way, that her ordinary piles of stuff transform into treasure chests of precious collectibles. A spool of blue thread suddenly becomes very interesting to look at. And that magnetic letter L hanging off a miniature cabinet catches my eye.

To top it off, the author provides us with an amusing game, where we are challenged to find specific objects within the huge assortment of collectibles. I had lots of fun looking through this book, and I think you will too. This imaginative take on the ordinary has gotten me thinking about other ways to use this idea. Like doing a series of photos where the reader is challenged to find all things starting with a certain letter. Or placing a stuffed animal in a not-obvious position within a photo and challenging a young reader to spot it. Or doing a series of photos featuring inanimate objects arranged in a creative way.

What ideas would you spin off of ToriC34’s book? Let us know by commenting on this article. And remember, if you have a photo book you’d like to share, we welcome you to post it on Shutterfly Gallery.