Photography as meditation

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Many times, while I photograph, I lose track of time. I forget where I am. I don't even realize until later how cold it was, or how wet my clothes were from the rain.

It's when this happens that photography feels like meditation. It's not a mystical experience -rather, it's about being fully aware of your surroundings and focusing on the present moment. Forgetting about what time it is, which day of the week it is, why you are even there. You feel at peace.

“The greatest events are not our noisiest but our stillest hours” - Friedrich Nietzsche

In meditation, the breath is the anchor to the present moment. In photography, it's composing an image. For a few moments, nothing else matters - I hold my breath, I'm alone, I can feel what I'm doing, I can see the image.

Photography done this way encourages mindfulness, you can find a quiet state of mind by surrendering to the process. Through patience, photography compels you to see, not just look.

And it's then, when we see, that magic can happen.

Make images that spark the imagination

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"The unseen is what fuels the imagination" - Om Malik

Have you ever wondered why readers who like a book usually dislike the movie version of the same story? In most cases, this is because no matter how good the author is and how many words they use to describe the characters and the places, a book is a non visual medium and in the end it relies on the reader's imagination to fill the gaps. Every reader will live the story in a unique way, making it more engaging and personal. On the other hand, the movie gives up almost everything with its visuals, every person watching it will see the same, there's not so much room for imagination.

Even though photography -like films- is a visual medium, there are some ways we can spark the imagination of the viewer. This will make them stop while scrolling down on their Instagram feed, or stare at the image a bit longer in an exhibition. When we get that kind of attention, that means the image works.

Black and white, removing details from the shadows and highlights, using the weather to your advantage, shooting at night... are just some of the techniques we can use to make our images a bit more obscure. In the video above, I show you an example.

Try to create intentional gaps in your images, so the viewer has to use their imagination to fill them in. By making some things go unseen, you'll be adding more to the image.

Related: Hint, don't show, 5 ideas to make images in the fog.

Inspiration is for amateurs

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“Inspiration is for amateurs, the rest of us just show up and get to work” - Chuck Close

I've said it many times, but it's worth repeating it every once in a while: we don't take photos because we are inspired, we become inspired because we take photos.

It's by acting and doing that we get motivated and inspired to create meaningful art. Some times, that means we have to push ourselves a little bit to get out and work. While it might sound hard at first, it's always worth it.

Looking up

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The sky isn't where I usually look for images. Most of the time, a dark blue sky or a bright cloudy one are just backgrounds for my subjects.

Lately, though, I've been looking up more closely. I made images of the Moon, the stars and the clouds. Even of clear, blue skies.

At a time when we are confined, the sky makes me feel free and connected to a bigger world beyond the walls of this house.

I'll keep looking up.