My philosophy of photography based on a lifetime of taking pictures

The question is not what you look at, but what you see.

From the Journal of Henry David Thoreau

Here is something I wrote recently, and I think it perfectly applies to my Nature and landscape photography:

The exceptional beauty I see all around me comes from my soul seeing through my camera and dancing to the meditation of my heart, slowly, serenely, blissfully. There is no past or future in this state, only the Eternal Now, the source of everything that is beautiful, noble and endlessly fascinating.

How do I discover this beauty in the vast and intricate web of life, whether in Nature or in my urban surroundings? Simply put, the camera becomes a third eye, capturing what my mind’s eye selectively sees almost everywhere I walk.

When I am outside and away from my apartment, the world and everything in it is capable of unlocking for me at least some mystery or aspect of its hidden self, along with perhaps buried emotions or memories, and profound little epiphanies, if I’m lucky. Intuition, luck and all my past experience with photography, enable me to create visual art from the perceived reality surrounding me. It’s similar to what a painter does, except accomplished very quickly.

I focus on the small details often because patterns, shapes, colors and forms come to me in quick bursts of illumination, spontaneously and serendipitously. Much of the time this is more pleasurable and enjoyable than illuminating.

Photography is such a major preoccupation for me that I can’t imagine not taking pictures. I take pictures every day. Rarely does a day go by when I’m not out somewhere with my camera.

One of the main reasons I never tire of this daily activity is that photography quite simply is the key to the way I see the world and the places, objects and landscapes I choose to notice and then reveal to myself and others in greater depth. I am more dedicated than ever to this pursuit and passion, which eclipses everything else in my life, especially now that I am retired and no longer caregiving. I feel so strongly about this that I cannot understand why others don’t seem to share this view. He very magical is the camera when you think about it.

I never want to stop recording and documenting the world I love, particularly Nature in all it’s constantly surprising, astounding, and mystical beauty, and by doing so reveal what I value, where I’ve been, and what I want to communicate to others. I’ve done this over many years through my writing, but photography is in an entirely different artistic realm.

I want to emphasize again that I settle on things to photograph intuitively. I take a lot of pictures. Many are good, but occasionally, one of these photos is so pleasing and perfect to my eye and the creative impulse so apparent in the composition, that I feel the thrill of discovery, immense gratitude and pleasure. Few things in life offer these kinds of rewards.

Almost all of my photography is done very late in the afternoon, right up until dusk, and I’m always on the alert for sunsets, since I have front-row viewing for them at three locations near where I live. Other subjects for my camera are reflections and shadows; the sky and clouds at any time of day or night; late afternoon sunlight illuminating landscapes with golden light;
trees in every season of the year; and, old houses, porches, flowers, gardens, sailboats in our harbor, flower boxes, abandoned houses and buildings, cats, and on and on. This list also includes signs; patterns of all kinds in Nature; geometrical and linear forms and outlines; and everyday objects which pop out at me as I’m walking along. These objects are often set amidst houses and abandoned buildings, or barely noticeable in weeds or undergrowth clinging to fences along streets. There is no limit on what to photograph. Almost everything can be the subject of a photo in the right light or in a context and location which yields pleasurable mystery or perhaps a glimpse into the unknown.

As I mentioned, simple things can be the most interesting. There is beauty where we often don’t think to look.

With photography, I have discovered more about myself, and I hav re-affirmed my values and core feelings, as I perpetually look at the world, never in the same way twice.