What does Photography got to offer a photographer, does it make him meditate through a particular medium, enabling him to drop everything before and after that particular moment. Primarily, a photographer is someone who needs to be constantly aware of the present, that ultimate moment and nothing else matters. Letting go of all the remembrances of the past and hindrances of the future, his conscience is only conscious about the present.
In other words, or in much simpler terms, he/she is meditating. The Pure state of consciousness is very much meditation.
“Sometimes looking stones.
Sometimes looking for butterflies.
Sometimes looking for flowers.
Sometimes searching for the truth.
But always remember:
beauty is in the search, not in what you find.
That’s just an excuse.”
~Osho
In this interesting post of ours, I wanted to draw line of comparison between photography and meditation. How does photographing something fall anywhere close to meditating, lets figure it out.
Photos by Naveen Gowtham
#1 Separation
Let us discuss on the most humble truth, when we try to photograph something, our ambitions, dreams, longingness, friends, enemies, and various relations disappear for that moment of split seconds. You live in a fruitful zone, where you just exist, only you – that second and nothing else. We try to make use of the light at that particular moment and capture the gracious moment at that constant time. What are the odds that you think something irrelevant to the state of mind, while your eyes are already on the viewfinder. Nothing crosses your mind and this is what yogi’s call as the first stage in meditation. Separating your soul from the external world.
#2 Memories
While you don’t exist in your past or rather think about your future, you stand firmly and more consciously on the present. There is no sublime beauty rather than enjoying this split second of your life. It could be anything, not a mere art form. “This” moment is more precious and will vanish right before your eyes. Clinging and chewing your past memories, some past photographs, or trying to replicate a photograph does not work. If you do, then that is not photography and you are not meditating either.
#3 Consciousness
Sharpening your reflexes and attaining the zone of splendid beauty. Try to imagine an ocean level of consciousness within you. Now a question, what would you be able to achieve. Everything is visible, possible and takes your attention, just because you have opened up so much similar to the depth of an ocean or height of the himalayas. This is possible because you don’t travel in the past. Consciousness is what they call the third stage of meditation and in photography this is very much possible.
#4 State of Being
You don’t listen to outer-voices, the constant search for the sublime light, a right composition or the apt subject. You start listening to your instincts, again nothing from the past, purely celebrating the present state of being. That moment will be done, this is more about being consistent. Its not the same water drop which keeps falling in a waterfall, it just lives a super small millionth of a second. This is more about determination and constant search for the final fruit. You cannot be creative while meditating, and yes because when you start to imagine you go out of the zone. Imagination becomes thoughts, and they take you into dreams, which is by far the opposite pole for meditation.
#5 Nothingness
Why do we do this, that constant battle in search of the unseen, be it picturing a gracious sunlight, a divine smile, that breathtaking waterfalls, or a decisive street moment. How would you feel when you focus on the most sublime scene you have ever witnessed, at that particular split second, right in between that split shutter speed of your camera, what were you thinking.
Well, if you dont have an answer for this, I would be really happy in concluding this article, Stating that ” Dear Photographers, We all do meditate!”.
Peace!
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