Shiver Showcase - Dewitt Jones

Dewitt Jones
Seeing what others walk past

 

Most people know Dewitt Jones as a photographer. That label misses the point. What Jones really does is train people how to see.

 

In his work at National Geographic, Jones learned something counterintuitive. The most powerful images were not always found in exotic places or once in a lifetime moments. They were often hiding in familiar landscapes, ordinary situations, and scenes others dismissed as already seen.

 

Jones tells the story of photographing Yosemite’s Half Dome. A breathtaking image, but also one that had been captured thousands of times before. Rather than moving on, he stayed. He changed lenses. He reframed. What emerged was not a better version of the same picture, but an entirely different story. A single tree at the base of a massive waterfall. Extraordinary, once you noticed it.

 

That mindset defines his work. Jones does not chase novelty. He practices attention. He believes creativity is not a lightning bolt but a discipline. One built on curiosity, patience, and the willingness to keep looking after the first answer appears.

 

That is why his message still matters for leaders today. Businesses rarely fail because leaders lack effort or intelligence. They struggle because pressure narrows perspective. The habit of seeing differently creates options where others see constraints.

 

Jones reminds us that creativity belongs everywhere. In leadership meetings. In decision making. In problem solving. Especially when the damn dailies make everything feel urgent and obvious.

 

The shiver comes from this realization. If the extraordinary is already present, then the responsibility shifts. The question is no longer “What do we need to find?” It becomes “What are we failing to notice?”

 

Seeing differently changes outcomes. Jones shows us that the skill can be learned, practiced, and applied every day.