Contemplative Photography - the art of seeing things as they are
Ways of seeing this very moment. Seeing comes before words. The child looks and recognizes before it can speak. When something catches my eye/attention, be that colour, texture, pattern, a gesture, light, space... anything, I stop and look. A moment in time can be felt deeply, a direct experience. Normally our habit is to instantly overlay our perceptions with judgements, like, dislike, ideas, self referencing stories, reminds me of... and concepts that cloud our perception. We therefore see our thoughts about things, rather than things as they are. Like music is more abut the silences between the notes, this is about the space between our thoughts, the gaps that let the light in directly, pre concepts, pre recognition...just so. This is a way to cut thru our habitual patterns of seeing.
I continue to be inspired by the endless perceptions and a practice with my camera that cultivates the joy of seeing things as they are and expressing that.
Also it can be interesting to the viewer to notice how these images are perceived. Does the mind rush to labeling? Opinions do you like it? Do you not like it? What does it remind me of, and more. Just noticing our reactions is our awareness at work. There is much more to this than meets the eye. Training the mind toward feeling direct perceptions.
In the exhibitions and projects, there was always this sense of joy in the camera work. Circumstances changed and yet I never lost the love, or that playful quality, of sensing the phenomenal world, seeing deeper with the camera.
How You Can Participate; Our Town, Yours? On retreat? Online?
If you feel drawn to this, please get in touch with us. We can discuss several ways you can learn more and enjoy this practice. Many photography clubs have hosted us and this program, this is for anyone.
It is also about the creative process, about refining our ability to see things fresh as they are. It is not about the goal of “getting the perfect picture”, rather it’s being "available" so the image can reveal itself and we could express that, our experience of that moment. technical knowledge of cameras and photography is not necessary in this process, one can learn as we go. It is about learning to get out of the way so can perceptions can be truly seen clearly…just so.
We love working with people of all ages and look forward to discussing possibilities with you. Last year we led a program in Hawaii. Maybe you’d like to join us there or have us offer this workshop in your city or town?
You can also check us out on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mindfuleye