The zen of photography

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Huck Finn

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I have taken to going for walks with my camera & looking for things that emotionally move me. I then try to capture them on film. I find that the pictures are a secondary benefit. Most often for me it's people (Beware, young lovers!), but it may also be a beautiful element of architecture, the beauty of nature, or the mood of a street. Through this discipline, I have developed a greater awareness of the world around me, becoming more tuned in, & I have developed a greater sense of being connected to the it. I started out looking for good photos & have discovered a therapeutic art in the process. Very good. Very nice. :)
 
Re: The zen of photography

Huck Finn said:
I have taken to going for walks with my camera & looking for things that emotionally move me. I then try to capture them on film. I find that the pictures are a secondary benefit. Most often for me it's people (Beware, young lovers!), but it may also be a beautiful element of architecture, the beauty of nature, or the mood of a street. Through this discipline, I have developed a greater awareness of the world around me, becoming more tuned in, & I have developed a greater sense of being connected to the it. I started out looking for good photos & have discovered a therapeutic art in the process. Very good. Very nice. :)
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Huck,

I think you'll find that some or all of us have found that inner place as well - and you've done a wonderful job of describing it.

It seems that sometimes I 'lose' that and then find it again, suddenly, unexpectedly. It is like looking at the world through new eyes.

I think it is like what runners describe when they talk about hitting 'the wall'. You break through and discover a new thing.

Congratulations!

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks
 
I've always noticed beautiful or interesting images as I move through this thing called life. With photography, I can capture and share those moments.
I have found that as my interest in photography grows, so does my ability to see beauty in the things around me.
Huck, I think you described it well. It's not just cameras, film, and lenses, it's an appreciation of the beauty of life.
 
Hey, we're not just pathetic, techy geeks, we're highly evolved and enlightened beings!

:p

Peace!
 
Hmmm, I try to do that all the time, and it really helps you appreciating the things you see around you; but often, the resulting pictures are not up to what I've felt when I took the picture - and that's where the technical aspects of photography appear...

Roman
 
Huck,
Yep, that's why most of us enjoy this fantastic hobbie/life-style/passion. Cest le vive!
 
I totally agree with Huck. Another aspect of the photography that is Zen like is the state of the mind of the photographer during shooting. I realised that the more I worry about the technical aspects of the shot like exposure or composition, the chances would be for me to miss the moment or ended up getting a photo that has no 'life'. It is time when I am relaxed as in the Zen state of 'no mind' that I get good shots.
 
You said it Huck ! :) I like the state of mind when I'm shooting, not sure it it's the sort of therapy you mention but I like that feeling of being disconnected from whatever was worrying me before.

Then of course, when I have bad shooting days, there's always that tempting collector's dark side ;)
 
Like listening to great music, I believe a seeing eye is an emotional connection as Huck describes. What is irritating is the frustration that occurs when you don't have your camera with you... :(
 
Merry Christmas to you all,

I find that I'm very emotional about how I shoot. Sometimes I shoot like crazy (my wife and son are waiting in the car complaining) and other times I don't shoot at all. My wife were in San Franscio this past week for our Anniversary. The Nikon D70 came along for the ride! We drove around town alot and I was in sensory overload. The colors, textures, buildings, people just overloaded my brain and I didn't shoot a single picture. I think I could wander around that town for a long time with the leica (when I get a lens), there's just so much to see. I've never lived in a city, so it just overwhelms me.

Steve
 
"What is irritating is the frustration that occurs when you don't have your camera with you... "
..............................................................
Gasp, of course you never let that happen, right? Even if it's a throwaway disposable I attempt to always have a camera with me. I've got an Olympus Trip just for that purpose .......... the only bad pic is the one you missed because you didn't have a camera with you.
~ ; - )
 
It does indeed!

The first few weeks in Mongolia were very bad in that respect. I'd started out bringing my cameras everywhere but shooting absolutely nothing for quite a few days in a row. I just didn't see anyhting worth shooting. So, one day I decided NOT to bring any camera at all (risk of theft, the extra weight, etc.) and, lo' and behold!, the very first bus stop I get off I get not one but two really good street photography opportunities. And it continued like that throughout the day. Needless to say the next day I was bringing my cameras again. I think this experience also opened my eyes for opportunities as from that moment on I began to shoot more and more. Sometimes we're all in a rut and need a push, a shove, or even a kick in the behind to start 'seeing' again.
 
The only ZEN that you will experience while photographing, is the ZEN that you bring with you.

Russ
 
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