![](\"https:\/\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/-eVprw0j5uCY\/TYo0_SUfRvI\/AAAAAAAABdA\/oSfGcjoHR_4\/s1600\/image004.jpg\")
<\/a><\/div>\nIt\u2019s about life.<\/b><\/p>\n
I had hoped to have finished a review of\u00a0The Practice of Contemplative Photography: Seeing the World with Fresh Eyes<\/a> I still haven\u2019t completed it, nor done many of the exercises, but it\u2019s time now to write. I have a feeling more will come as my life settles down a bit in England\u2026 (suuuure<\/i>\u2026.)<\/p>\n The book is by all means a masterpiece for those who want to bring their photography and contemplative lives to their pinnacle.<\/b> Just opening it, I feel relaxed, with deepening awareness of the world around me, just as it is. I grow more inquisitive about the little things I would otherwise (and do otherwise) overlook a thousand times.<\/p>\n Much of my life, from around 8am until noon, revolves around coffee. Simple as it is, I might not have had that realization if it weren\u2019t for this book.<\/b> The photograph above is from this morning, my coffee cup sitting on a copy of one part of my recently completed UK student visa application. Peace triumphant over bureaucracy (I hope). The coffee stain on the left tells you it\u2019s been here for a couple days. The page has three such stains now, as it sits without any real purpose on my desk.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This isn\u2019t a book about theory, or what to believe or how to understand the world. In fact, the couple times this came up in the book (early on), I found myself disagreeing with the authors. But this just shows that I\u2019ve been trained (minimally) in the world of classical photography, <\/i>where things like the rule of thirds, focus points, and checking your corners are gospel. It wasn\u2019t until about a third of the way into the book that I realized that this book simply has a different purpose<\/i>, when I read<\/b>:<\/p>\n When you get home, take time with your images. Don\u2019t rush to pick out the good shots and reject the bad ones. Try not to be harsh or judgmental with yourself, but keep looking. Recognize what you have and try to see what worked and what did not. When you have a good sense of that, delete the images that did not come from real flashes of perception<\/b>.\u00a0(emphasis mine)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The purpose here is not to capture a classically<\/i>\u00a0beautiful image, but instead to sink into the moment at which a photo is taken. So, when I reached the chapter on texture<\/i>\u00a0I paused and soaked up the world around me. What I found most appealing was the texture of my hemp\/blend pants.<\/p>\n But this photo is indicative of my above messiness as well as a lesson later in the book: Simplicity<\/i>. There is just too much going on in this photo (for me). I think it captures my true perception \u2013 click on it and just gaze at the light on the jeans above my hand and you might \u2018sink in\u2019 to the texture as I did in that moment. But the peripherals, which fell into a calm fuzz in my mind\u2019s eye, did not as well in the photo. (perhaps a faster lens, like this beautiful\u00a0Nikon 50mm f\/1.2<\/a>,\u00a0only $750\u2026)<\/p>\n In fact the top photo of my coffee cup may be too busy as well due to the coffee ring, but I like it. It tells a story, provides context. What do you think?<\/b> (perhaps compare to my earlier coffee cup photo, below)<\/p>\n But when the book shifts back into what I lovingly call a \u2018philosophical\u2019 mode, I sink back in to the book with deep appreciation. When discussing the topic of \u201cBoredom and Entertainment,\u201d the authors write:<\/p>\n \u201cWhy do we check our e-mail so frequently, continually text our friends, or waste so much time on Facebook? The basic question is, why can\u2019t we relax when we have nothing to do and enjoy a little bit of space in our lives?\u00a0<\/p><\/blockquote>\n \u00a0The problem is that we are afraid of our own hearts. There are many, many things we haven\u2019t wanted to look at. The heart is so sensitive, so ready to resonate with the world, that we keep it covered, fearing we won\u2019t be able to stand being touched\u2026\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n So true. So beautifully stated.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n And later, the discussion of the flash of perception as \u201csudden, shocking, and disorienting<\/i>\u201d reads like poetry or the soft words of a meditation-master walking you through the tapestry of your own experience.<\/p>\n In the end this is a book that will be many things to many different people. While I think you can practice contemplative photography with a point-and-shoot or your phone camera, I am skeptical about the quality of both the photos themselves (again, showing my classical photographer<\/i>\u00a0side) and the experience in the moment itself (something the authors would, I think, agree with me on). This kind of photography requires a human-perspectival fidelity that most cameras simply aren\u2019t built for. And it requires a kind of human-machine connection by which the camera becomes an extension of your own perception<\/b>. (If I really wanted to be a snob, I\u2019d demand the use of medium-format cameras or at least a full frame DSLR, but alas, I won\u2019t go that far)<\/p>\n But the practice itself can still be done with these, in principle. Whether the results are gratifying enough to keep you going or not is an open question.<\/p>\n And what I do love about this book is the step-by-step practices it contains. Each practice is like a guided meditation in which the camera replaces your cushion and the world around you substitutes for the world within. But the result is remarkably similar: a growing awareness of the present moment, a calming of thoughts, a\u00a0heightened\u00a0vividness in the detail, color, and texture of perceptions. Even with no camera at all, these practices are worthwhile for the reconnection with the world we gain. I return again and again to a quote found early in the book:<\/p>\n \u201cThe possibilities of perception are limitless, and clear seeing is joyful.\u201d <\/p><\/blockquote>\n And later in the practice:<\/p>\n \u201cLearn to apply effort to discernment like a skillful violinist tuning his instrument: not too tight and not too loose.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Wisdom not just for photography, but for life.<\/b><\/p>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/a><\/div>\n