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.
 
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.
 
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