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Seeing without Seeing...
"In the case of archery, the hitters & the hit are no longer two opposing objects, but are one reality. The archer ceases to be conscious of himself as the one who is engaged in hitting the bull's-eye which confronts him. This state of unconsciousness is realized only when, completely empty & rid of self, he becomes one with the perfecting of his technical skill, though there is in it something of a quite different order which cannot be attained by any progressive study of the art..." "In the case of photography, the photographer & the subjectmatter are no longer two opposing objects, but are one reality. The Photographer ceases to be conscious of himself as the one who is photographing a subjectmatter which confronts him. This state of unconsciousness is realized only when, completely empty & rid of self, he becomes one with the perfecting of his technical skill, though there is in it something of a quite different order which cannot be attained by any progressive study of the art..."
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A little Tao....
A photographer is not a composer: a photographer is a visionary. He doesn't compose, the photography happens in certain moments -- those moments are of meditation. In fact, when the photographer is not, then the photography happens. When the photographer is completely absent, suddenly he is filled with something unknown, unasked for; suddenly something of the unknown has entered into him/her, a fresh breeze has come into his house. Now he has to translate this fresh breeze into an image -- he is not a composer, he is a translator. A photographer is a translator: something happens inside his being and he translates it into an image, into photographs. Something wordless stirs within. It is more like a feeling, and less like a thought. It is less in the head, and more in the heart. Tao is all about this 'being absent' as an ego and becoming one with the experience. Tao is about being in the moment, not in the past or the future. Tao is about experiencing fully all that is; it is being without mind. Tuning into existance allows me to break down the material boundaries between my body, my camera and the subject to become one. Experiencing existence, or becoming one with the subject I am shooting allows me to capture images that have a spontaneity which could never come about in posed shots. As a photographer, I don't try to interpret reality, but rather I try to be a visionary. In other words, I try not to think about what I am photographing and just see it. To me, being a visionary is a fine mix of courage, maturity and innocence. It is seeing with the eyes of a child without being childish. Tao is all about this 'being absent' as an ego and becoming one with the experience. Tao is about being in the moment, not in the past or the future. Tao is about experiencing fully all that is; it is being without mind. As a photographer, it is important to be in the moment because the awareness which comes with tuning into existence allows me to see all that unfolds before me. Tuning into existance allows me to break down the material boundaries between my body, my camera and the subject to become one. Experiencing existence, or becoming one with the subject I am shooting allows me to capture images that have a spontaneity which could never come about in posed shots. |