Valentine’s Day… does nothing for me: I love my loved ones the whole year round – I don’t need a special day for that. But here I am sitting behind my computer and looking at a calendar with a picture of a heart shaped lava flow, made by Hawaiian photographer Bruce Omori of ExtremeExposure (http://www.extremeexposure.com). The spirit of surrounding yourself with things that you love!
After my disappointment in Hawaii I visited a winery there where they had amazing images by G. Brad Lewis (http://www.volcanoman.com), who says in his Artist’s Statement on the back of the print I bought, that the goal of his photography is to connect the viewer to a deep appreciation for the natural world. He utilizes the movement, light and texture of volcanic activity to open human emotions to the pulse of the planet. I’m sure he travels to different parts of the planet now.
Two other forms of photography captured my attention last month: Impressionist Photography and Miksang Photography. Both forms handle more awareness of the surrounding area and when I read about Miksang Photography I was reminded of the book I had to read for my drawing class: “The Zen of Seeing – Seeing/Drawing as Meditation” by Frederick Franck. He starts the book with an exercise: go sit somewhere and look at what’s in front of you. Then close your eyes for 5 minutes and look again – don’t look at anything else, don’t talk, be absolutely still and you’ll notice that you SEE what’s in front of you.
In our busy world even as photographers we are always in a hurry, but if you take the time to really SEE – your photography will improve.
I like the impressionist painters and when my friend suggested that I look at the work of Eva Polak (a New Zealand photographer) I was immediately hooked. Go to her web site (http://evapolak.com) and see for yourself.
Till next time,
Ans