Photography, Beyond the Moment

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Week 23 - Mindfulness

Shadowplay

One of photography's greatest gifts is the opportunity to be mindful. To let moments come to you rather than going out to chase them. To see without looking. I have been reading and inspired by Looking at Mindfulness by Christopher André, which explores iconic paintings focusing on the mindful exploration of our surroundings.

We don't typically search for photographs at home. Instead, the pictures find us. So perhaps being away for several weeks heightened my senses upon returning to our apartment.

It likely happens every day during this time of year. However, I noticed the late day light scraping across the foyer on this occasion. From a heat-map perspective, it ironically matches last week's image of the sun setting on my travels.

I could have used a tripod to mitigate the challenges of a low-light photo and produce a sharper image. But when capturing a return home, perhaps soft is a more significant statement than sharp.

The image has a warm tone lost in black and white. The black and white, however, intensifies the order of the many shapes and lines— another way of expressing comfort.

f2 1/8 sec ISO 640 June 12, 2022