Observation Tools: A Breakdown
Opening your eyes and ears is not the only way to observe the world.
Observing the world is about acquiring knowledge and information from passive sources and activating the mind.
Observations, though, can take on different forms. Some are observations from afar, such as looking at the landscape or skywatching. Spotting, whether planes, birds, or trains is usually done from a distance. Some observations become more of an examination. You might find yourself interested in the local fauna and might need to take a sample to see more at home under a microscope. Examination is more of an active, closeup, type of observation where knowledge joins practice and study.
Artists have an old saying that painting uses every sense. It’s not just a matter of sight. The Scream, for example, fills the ears of the viewer. Use your senses as a warmup to what knowledge you might need. Think of not only the color and sound of the bird, but make note of the temperature of when you see it the most. Is the building surrounded by loud machinery? Is the air pungent or sweet nearby?
An observation then goes beyond the senses. It requires direction. This might be blind to you at first. Why did you notice it? Why are you drawn to this particular thing? Have you ever just walked by it and not noticed it before. Force yourself to ask basic questions about it before you move on.
Answer the questions and then start a list, whether on a scratch pad or just mentally. It doesn’t need to be much. If it’s a observation made in public, watch the way people walk and pass by each other. Notice how they interact. But, not only that; look at the shadows on the ground and buildings as they pass. Notice the dappling of light from the trees and flags. The easiest thing to observe is contrast. The differences in items makes them easily distinguished. Notice differences in building materials, building usage, car size, style, age… Whatever the subject of the observation, just adapt the principle of the questioning.
The next step is to find the similarities. What makes certain objects or situations similar? Make the connections and process them in more than one way. While this is a basic exercise taught in elementary and middle schools, it is something adults tend to forget. We shun categorization, thinking it prevents us from being more complex people. It’s when we don’t take the next steps that we lose that complexity.
Learn about the similarities and differences. This is where picking up a book and applying the list helps us gain insight. Pick one thing from the list of questions and answers that really sticks out. Were there more birds than previously expected? Did the buildings seem to have similar construction patterns? Similar adornments? Here is where knowledge draws on experience. Both weave together to expand the view of the observer.
The proximity of the observation will determine the tools you’ll need, but this is a basic list of items I have developed for myself over time. You won’t need a toothbrush if you’re just doing bird studies. (Unless your breath scares off birds.) The point is these tools each handle a job that may be overlooked when you first begin to engage yourself in observations.
Tools for observation:
Paper and pencil.
The tactile sensation of having a pencil on paper helps make connections in the brain. It’s also cheap and easy.
The basic list.
Listing items helps dissolve the mental block of having to remember items. It also makes things convenient for further review. Listing can be on a simple pad and paper. It can be on a phone or computer, but if the goal is to get away from screen time, then having a physical pen and paper makes it easier to do.
At first, stick to a simple flow of thought type of list. List whatever comes to mind in the moment. If you are observing something and it seems important or just won’t go away quickly, write it down and move on. Review the list before the next observation time. Note when things repeat themselves. This is where you might want to start thinking about further review. Would a book or quick internet search answer that nagging question?
Once we have questions and potential questions, we need to probe for answers.
The background books and articles:
The easiest thing to write here is to just go buy a book and learn the names of different trees, birds, rocks, buildings, etc. That only gets someone so far. They can read the book and see pictures that might look familiar. Find specifics by limiting your search to the category of your observation (buildings, birds, flowers, popular jackets, etc) with your discriminatory factor. By this, I mean don’t look up all birds, but look up “Birds of Missouri” or “stars that appear in March”. While broad, they are not broad enough to make it overwhelming. I like to call this step the Bucket Search. I gather as much as I can, and then I sift it out as not to drown.
Personally, I try to find open source, public domain, or creative commons sources for information first. Then, I turn to paid products. I am going to give a few personal tips for specific types of research, but the process can be applied to other areas just as easily.
There are some great birding books and architectural discussions out there. But, we are in the middle of the 21st century. So, there is a good chance someone 100 years ago already made a great study on the thing you are learning about for the first time. There were some great birders back in the 1800s that give some basics.
Many of the buildings from the 1800s have histories and locally-written backgrounds on them produced for tourists right after their openings. This was common practice, but it’s not always guaranteed.
Another great source for city observers is Sanborn Maps. These were early street maps produced for insurance companies around the country. The maps were labeled with interesting details such as lot owners, building use, and sometimes occupancy limits. Old maps can provide huge insights into city and road planning. The maps can even be from gas station giveaways from just a few decades ago.
Remember, in times before the advent of the computer, people also depended on the collection of information. Whatever the subject, if it’s older than the computer age, you’re likely to find a good, basic introduction of it in the public domain. Try the Internet Archive, Gutenberg Books, and your local government archives.
And, don’t forget the library. Great observers from every age have relied on the library to bring them home.
Now, once the knowledge is obtained, it’s time to become a more active and involved observer. This is where you make a plan to apply the knowledge to your observation, which at this time is now more of a full-on study. You’re gaining an understanding by physically forcing yourself to utilize the knowledge you gained.
Sketching:
Sketching is a great way to interact with an observation. Without giving too much away, the title character in The Escape Artist by Brad Meltzer is an actual artist hired by the government to do combat sketches. The position is explained through its history, but it relies on an artist’s ability to see things a camera misses. It is the feeling and intuition of the artist that helps develop the meaning behind a scene. Sketching doesn’t have to be technically accurate. Skill will develop with time and practice. The immediate importance, though, is using sketching to supplement memory. Trying to get an outline or a set of basic pictures with some scribbled notes around them, that is just as useful as making a list. The same pen or pencil can be used to make the quick sketches. A mid-sized (5x7) sketchbook makes an ideal starting point for ideas and lists.
Viewing Glasses:
Binoculars are great for watching birds, but people often buy ones that are too big. A smaller set of binocs is better for observing birds because they don’t overly magnify or blur the bird. Some smaller binocs are great for museums and insects. My personal favorites are the Pentax Papilio II. They allow the viewer to get close to museum art pieces without actually walking up to them.
Bigger binocs are good for astronomy purposes because of the greater distance and wider view. A good general monocular is also good for some birding and observing architectural details.
Magnifying glasses are useful for those items you can handle. (Think rocks, stamps, plants, mushrooms, leather pieces, etc.) A good 3–4x with an inset 10x is a good starting point. These can be had online or even at local bookstores and hardware stores.
Pocket microscopes are surprisingly clear and addicting. They offer a decent magnification of everyday objects. The center of a flower becomes a valley of colorful mounds when viewed up close. Insects have wonderful hair that cannot be truly appreciated without magnification.
Small handheld and telescoping mirrors become incredibly handy for observing the backs of items. This could be the underneath of a potentially poisonous mushroom on the ground or even the back of a piece of furniture in a flea market or walking (as opposed to gallery) museum. Some makeup mirrors have a slight magnifying quality which is also useful for reading small details that might be hard to get to with a magnifying glass. Makeup and basic hand mirrors can be found in many department stores, but telescoping mirrors are found in hardware and auto part stores.
Other tools for deeper study:
I put together a short list of links to the smaller items for the reader’s convenience: Tool List Links
Rulers:
Rulers come in all sizes. (Don’t hate my puns, they do measure up.) Tape measures, sewing rulers, and pocket rulers are all good to have around. I keep a soft tape type (similar to the ones used in clothing departments) in the bag. It has both metric and standard measurements. All of my pocket rulers are stainless steel so they don’t get damaged as easily when in use.
Nitrile Gloves:
Want to examine something icky? Keep a pair of nitrile gloves in your kit.
Tooth Brushes/Small paint brush:
Brushes are used to clean, sort, push items that might be too delicate for fingers.
Small flashlights:
These come in handy in hard to see areas, not just at night. The small squeeze types from Nite Ize are good to carry on a keychain.
Tweezers:
Tweezers allow you to examine items without touching them. Harbor Freight, Northern Tools, and Menards have a decent set of stainless steel tweezers for basic needs. Don’t have any of those handy? Try American Science and Surplus.
Scissors:
A good set of garden scissors is useful when you want to snip a plant sample or need to free something from a mess to get a better look. Find the best quality you can afford, but don’t spend too much. They will be used.
Forceps:
Forceps are great for picking up items you need to keep at a distance. They also come in handy for grabbing hard-to-reach small items. They are also easier to obtain than you might think. They are available in some auto parts stores, but tool warehouses and surplus stores usually have them as a staple item.
Clay Tools/Picks and Scrapers:
Clay modeling tools come in different forms from dental picks and scrapers to thin cutting tools. These come in handy when you want to break something apart or clean mud off of something. They also come in handy if you want to examine owl pellets.
Thermometer:
Whether you have a non-contact utility thermometer or a probe type, these are useful in measuring whatever base temperature you might need. Think of those times when people say it’s so hot they could cook an egg on the sidewalk… Or, if you are so inclined, you might be measuring the temperature around a mushroom formation.
Stethoscope:
These have many functions. A good set not only helps you hear your heartbeat, but you can hear the hum of insects in a tree. And, at the right time of the year, you can hear the water being drawn up through trees. There are various kinds, and a good source is American Science and Surplus.
Pouches, containers, and binders:
Once you start making more and more interactive observations, you’re going to need a way to carry all of this.
My personal solution is to have a zip-up binder (think Trapper-Keeper) with a couple of larger pencil cases in it. These help me sort the items and keep them from scratching each other.
I also buy small food containers and condiment tubs from the dollar store to keep samples in. They generally tend to be airtight, so smells aren’t much of an issue if you want to store dead insects for awhile.
Electronics:
Use your phone to take pictures, videos, and sound recordings. If you feel this is going to be more in line with your purposeful observations, you can invest in specific tools for each job. I love ambient recordings, so I invested in a separate audio recorder that produces surround sound files.
I have invested in the Olympus Tough Series, and I have to say I love it. The native macro mode has been a wonderful surprise. It allows me to take incredibly detailed photos of small objects.
Hopefully, a combination of items of this articles will provide the reader with more complete observations. We live in a world where we can build a veritable detective’s kit of our own. We can observe the world in a much deeper way. Get out there and observe!
