It is my
pleasure to introduce our guest today, Kim Manley Ort, who explores contemplative
living through photography. She facilitates online and in-person
workshops. While contemplation is at the
core of her photography, her teaching mission is to help people see new
perspectives and possibilities, and to encourage them to trust their own unique
way of seeing. A new workshop – Keeping It Simple
– begins May 19th. {I’m
already signed up. Why not join me? - D}
Living a Contemplative Life through Photography
In an
apartment in Italy, I awoke one morning to the sun streaming through the bottom
of the heavy curtains. I paused to take in the moment and saw the curved shape
created by the light. My photograph etches that moment in my memory.
The tagline
on my website is “Exploring contemplative living through photography,”
and I think this fits very well with this site, “Focusing on life.”
Contemplation
means to “consider with attention.”
My first
teacher in the contemplative life was the Trappist monk, Thomas Merton, who was
also a photographer. Merton calls contemplation taking a “long, loving look
at the real.”
Contemplative
photography is not something I practice only at certain times. Whether I have a
camera with me or not, I practice awareness of the subtle world around me all
the time – noticing light and lines, shapes and colours.
There are
three habits of contemplative photographers that I'd like to explore – opening
and pausing, focusing our attention, and making the connection.
Open and Pause
The first
habit is to open ourselves to receiving images by becoming aware of our
perceptions.
Perceptions
are not thoughts; they are pre-thought and often felt. Something grabs our
attention and brings us into the moment. For example, in the image below I was
stopped by the colour (red) and the curves.
We have
these types of perceptions all the time, but are often unaware of them, ignore
them or jump to creating a story about them. Our conceptual (thinking) mind
kicks in to name, label, interpret. In this case, my conceptual mind would say
“pretty red car,” and I'd pull back and photograph the red car, rather than the
initial perception.
As
contemplative photographers it's important to pause and identify the
initial perception. It's not up to us to judge it as interesting or beautiful
or to improve on it. The Miksang approach to contemplative photography is
exemplary for teaching how to be more aware of perceptions.
Focus Attention
The second
habit of contemplative photography is to explore new perspectives and
possibilities by focusing our attention – taking that long, loving look.
This form of
attention trains us to see with the heart, taking note of all of the qualities
that are present. This is how we get to the essence or soul of what is there.
Ordinary subjects become quite extraordinary when we do this.
To see with
the heart is to see without judgment. We see what's there and refuse to label it
as pretty or ugly, good or bad, interesting or boring. With this approach,
everything and everyone has value and deserves recognition.
I feel
myself drawn to subjects normally considered ordinary, boring or even ugly –
like rusty guardrails, graffiti walls, or rain on my deck.
Last summer,
I explored different perspective and qualities of a clump of grasses near my
home. I saw the variations of green, the soft curves of the individual fronds,
and the way they swayed in the wind.
I
photographed these grasses all summer in many wild and wonderful ways.
Making the Connection
Once we've
received the image, identified our perception, and explored perspectives, it's
time to make the connection (click the shutter).
I believe
that contemplative photography is also about relationship and that what we are
drawn to can reveal things about ourselves.
Ansel Adams
said, “You bring to the act of photography all the pictures you have seen,
the books you have read, the music you have heard, the people you have loved.”
Some would
argue that the photographer has no place within the photograph. My experience
tells me something different. I believe that our unique perceptions reflect
something deep inside of us.
Clicking the
shutter is a way of acknowledging that resonance. It's a visual form of namaste
- “the essence in me recognizes the essence in you.”
Over the
past winter, I visited a local greenhouse a couple of times to get a dose of
colour from the flowers. While I did photograph the flowers, I found myself
drawn to the glass walls of the greenhouse and the filmy layer that obscured
and distorted the scene outside.
This is
where trusting your instincts comes into play. Instead of telling myself that
no one else would find these images interesting, I went where my heart was
taking me. Several of these images are my favourites from this winter.
To me, they
reflect my own desire to make a connection, to reach out, and to reveal more
about myself. Yet, there is still a thin film blocking the way. This is my own
interpretation.
Take a look
at recent images of yours and see what they tell you about yourself.
To
summarize, contemplative photography is about opening to receive images,
focusing our attention with love, and then making the connection (clicking the
shutter).
Thank you,
Dotti, for inviting me to contribute to the community here at Focusing on
Life.