iPad

a photo study: contemplative photography II

Beyond the clouds
My gaze goes on and on;
The endless sea:
What lies beyond is unknown
As my gloomy thoughts…

~Lord Suetsune (cited: http://www.wakapoetry.net)

solitarybirdweb

sparrow…    Apple iPad   f/1.8  1/12000s   20 ISO

This week’s photo study was inspired by Howard Zehr, (Contemplative Photography seeing with wonder, respect, and humility).  He invites us to consider,

“… how we might use the medium of photography to stimulate our imaginations, to develop our intuitive and aesthetic sensibilities, to gain new insights. …to stop and look and be refreshed. In order to do this, [he] asks us to ‘re-image’ how we envision and carry out photography.

“Rarely do we spend enough time with an image to ‘mine’ all of its visual, emotional, and spiritual potential. Rarely are we aware of its impact on the emotional as well as the intellectual level. Too often our tendencies to judge and evaluate get in the way of appreciating what we see.”

Photo Assignment:
Discipline yourself to make at least one photograph each day.
Once a week, spend at least 10 minutes with one of the photographs.
As you do, consider three topics in this order:
I see — describe each object, each detail, the light, etc., Then associate: what are you reminded of by the shapes, juxtapositions, etc.
I feel — What do you feel as you look at the image?
I think — Interpret and analyze.
Keep a journal about this and any insights you gain.

“The practice of contemplative photography does not end when you finish shooting… The first thing you should do after [photographing] is spend some time with each of your images.  Try to see which ones work and which do not. Don’t be in a hurry to delete the ones you don’t like, but try to learn from them. See if you can remember what was going on in your state of mind when you [pressed the shutter].”  ~ A Karr & M Wood (The Practice of Contemplative Photography)

I am looking forward to seeing your image that was inspired by Howard Zehr’s photo assignment.  Let’s tag with #aphotostudy.

a photo study: contemplative photography

1hreggstudy5

iPad     f/1.8   1/130 sec   ISO 64

“The object is of secondary importance to how I see the object.  …concentrated looking is the way to get past labels and our preconceived ideas of what interests us.  Looking slowly and in detail, …gives way to interlocked abstract shapes, energetic textures, ranges of colors, spaces in between things, sharp edges, and soft shadows.  This way of seeing objects turns any item into an interesting subject.”

~John F Simon, Jr (Drawing your own Path)

I began this week with a posting of a 20 minute photo project with an egg and then went on to a second project…20 minutes with two eggs, a white small dish, a white tea cloth, a white pitcher, a small ball.  Images edited in Snapfeed.

Limited resources has the potential to awaken creativity.

iPad…f/1.8 1/30 sec ISO 20
iPad…f/1.8 1/30 sec IS) 25

The third mediative photography project…one hour photographing an egg and a small white dish…2 minutes with each image before clicking the shutter.   Images edited in Snapfeed.

iPad f/1.8 1/1,050 ISO 64
iPad f/1.8 1/370 sec ISO 64
iPad f/1.8 1 sec ISO 64
iPad f/1.8 1 sec ISO 64i

Creativity begins as we begin to think differently, move out of our comfort zone, start to use our head over the camera, and go beyond all apparent possibilities.  

1hreggstudy2

iPad f/1.8 1/50 sec ISO 64

A closing note: My restless soul resisted the idea to photograph an egg for an hour with a  point and shoot camera (I substituted the point and shoot with an iPad).  As a consequence, I began with two separate 20 minute exercises and then found the inspiration to set a meditative app for an hour with bells to chime every 2 minutes.  Now I’m wondering what images would have emerged if I challenged myself for 2 hours…

Are you up to this challenge…one 20 minute photo session, two 20 minute sessions, or an hour?  Let’s tag with #aphotostudy.