When life gets busy I often find myself diving in with my camera, using it to document, distract, observe and sometimes- to quiet my mind. When I’m thinking in photographs I don’t spend as much time thinking in words. Instead, I quietly observe. I truly see the world around me. Sometimes that means that I notice the color gradients across a vast landscape, enjoy the textures in a beach scene or ruminate on how to capture the tempo of repeating elements by slight physical adjustments to my perspective. Other times, I’m drawn into the details. The shimmer of a petal on a lily blossom, the peaks and valley across a textile when viewed at macro distance, or, as in this case, light. To be honest, light is always a focus in my observation, but today the dappled light on a rather untamed flowering bush in my backyard captured my attention. Luxuriant green and delicate white blossoms; they whispered of impending summertime as I studied them under the warm afternoon sun.
I love this sentence you wrote: “When I’m thinking in photographs I don’t spend as much time thinking in words”. It resonates with me. I wonder whether it affects our brain, as in which side we’re using when we’re thinking in photographs. Certainly that contemplative state of mind does seem to renew my brain. Your Summery photographs are very calming. Thank you for sharing them.
Thank you, Marilaine! I truly appreciate how photography allows me to use both the technical and the artistic. It’s such an expansive pursuit.