The execution of an action by no means proves that we know, even superficially, what we are doing or how we are doing it. If we attempt to carry out an action with awareness – that is, to follow it in detail – we soon discover that even the simplest and most common of actions, …
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My Journey to Contemplative Photography
My Journey to Contemplative Photography is about the growing conflict with the contemporary approach to photography. 1 The strong desire to find a way out of this impasse motivated me to explore new horizons. Let me tell you how it pushed me along the way and helped me to embrace a new way of image-making. …
Beginner’s Mind, Creative Mind
Beginner’s Mind, Creative Mind¹ is an exploration of what it takes to apply a beginner’s mind to photography. Introduction Creativity has no form or shape. Being formless is beyond experience, knowledge and defies any attempts to describe it. What can be known, described and analyzed are the experiences that are associated with it, often referred …
The Decisive Moment and Contemplative Photography
Henri Cartier-Bresson introduced the concept of the Decisive Moment (DM). It has served as a milestone in the history of photography and is the centerpiece of Contemplative Photography. Why? Because Cartier-Bresson was free to look through his own eyes, independent of conventional photographic practice. His book, The Mind’s Eye (www.aperture.org) resonates with anyone who practices …
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Discernment, the Effort of No Effort – Part 3.
Part 3 says discernment is about ‘the effort of no effort’. Another way of saying the same is ‘nothing needs to be done’ or Wu Wei, the Chinese concept of ‘non-doing’. These cryptic expressions are often used in Zen. Let me try to unpack them by applying them to photography. Obviously, it does not mean …
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