Autumn Reflections

by Leigh

What comes to mind when you think of Fall?  changing leaves, cooler days, and pumpkin spice everything! There's a cozy feeling and it's not just my oversized sweater and uggs.  As the days get shorter we put on our layers, grab a warm drink and curl up with our loved ones.  Fall always seems to go by quickly.  It seems like a week after we see Halloween costumes in the stores we start seeing Christmas decorations.  This always frustrates me because the rush?  I want to savor fall...enjoy fall...mull around with it for awhile.  

Autumn is a time to become your best self.  There are many things the fall equinox symbolizes...balance, preparation and reflection.  As we leave the warm days of summer behind and head into darker, colder days we will need these three things to get us through until spring returns. 

BALANCE

Balance is a state in which different things occur in equal or proper amounts or have an equal or propers amount of importance.  Balance eases the mind and creates a sense of control.  Balance is comforting.

PREPARATION

Preparation is the action of making ready or being made ready for use or consideration.  In this case, we must mentally prepare ourselves for the darker and shorter days ahead.  Creating positive routines now will help to keep us healthy, strong and happy.

REFLECTION

Reflection is serious thought of consideration. As the hustle and bustle of the holidays is upon us, it's easy to fall into a trap of superficial things.  Now is a time to look back over the year and be proud of what we've accomplished and how we can better ourselves.  It's not a time to focus on what we lack, but build on what we have and be grateful.

Enjoy this beautiful season of Autumn and see how it affects you.

"Kissed by the Muse"

by Carol

A few weeks ago Leigh let us in on her practice of meditation. You can read it here if you missed it. Many of the comments mentioned finding peace through photography. Recently I came across a book review of Torsten Andreas Hoffman's new book called Photography As Meditation. OOO! Right up my proverbial alley - I ordered it on the spot!

The book (which I am really enjoying) demonstrates how much photography and meditation have in common. For instance, photography can not be hurried - it takes a quiet mind and body to (literally) focus so intently. Like meditation, it becomes a counterpoint to our hectic pace. Hoffman makes the point that photography forces you to live in the present moment. The best pictures are taken by maintaining patience - waiting for the exact moment that seagull walks into the sunbeam - to click the shutter, or studying the subtle changes in color as the sun sinks moment to moment into the horizon.

"There is almost nothing whose existence is based more on the present moment than a photograph. Photography divides moments into an elapsed time of 1/8000 of a second."

I find that my very best photographs have happened when a full peace has settled over my mind. I am relaxed but my senses are fully involved - I am feeling the warmth of the fading sun and the gentle breeze on my skin, I am smelling the briny sea, I am hearing the gulls call and splash as they dive. I am tasting the salt air. The click of my camera seems loud even though it is so much softer than the levels of noise I am exposed to in my daily life! I am alone on the planet. This is sometimes referred to as being "in the zone," but for me its like stepping outside of the world for a minute - seeing all of life around you in greater detail.

The book makes the point that many religious figures, including Jesus, went off into the desert to consider their path before acting. This stepping away to hear your own heart seems essential in this noisy world. Hoffman tells us that "with fewer stimuli to navigate, The senses are heightened and better able to recognize significance." Stepping back allows you to find a stillness, which Zen Master John Daido Loori ( who wrote The Zen of Creativity)refers to as the still point.

"Once you have reached this still point, you have arrived at the source of all inspiration and creativity. It is in this state that you might be kissed by the muse." 

Spring is here, friends. Grab your camera, find your still point away from the world, and make an image of whatever comes into your personal consciousness. I believe its focus will be more perfect, its composition will be more intriguing and its colors will be more vibrant. When an image speaks to you, it will speak to us. I hope you get a big SMOOCH! Happy chilling......

                                   

Be Still

by leigh

Be still…two seemingly simple words.  They can be easy to understand, but difficult to actually put into practice.  I hardly ever shoot still lifes.  I see Kelly's beautifully composed ones and wonder how does she do that!  I can see the thought and careful consideration she puts into the still life before she even picks up her camera.  I can see that not only does she shoot still lifes, but she understands what it means to be still.  In times of stillness comes inspiration.  I tend to think as I shoot.  It becomes a very organic process for me as I feel myself guided as I am out with my camera.  Guided by who? what?  my thoughts maybe…perhaps led by god…my inner soul?  Whatever it may be it's a form of meditation for me.

I may not be a seasoned still life photographer, but I do practice being still in my daily life.  Through meditation I am able to be fully present and quiet my mind.  Some days I meditate early in the morning after exercising and before the rest of the house wakes up. Other days I listen to a guided meditation before bed, but lately I've been using my 15-20 minutes in carpool line for my stillness time.  I'm currently doing Oprah and Deepak Chopra's 21 Day Meditation Experience.   Everyday I receive an email that talks about the focus for the days meditation.  Today was Making Lightness the New You.  I'm given a centering thought and then I listen as Oprah gives her thoughts on the day's focus and then Deepak leads the meditation.  He gives a sanskirt mantra to use during meditation. The wonderful thing about mantras is that you say them silently over and over to yourself during the meditation which helps to stop your mind from wandering which is usually the most difficult part of meditation.  The best advice I was ever given was not to turn off my thoughts, but to turn down the volume.  If  a thought keeps popping up just acknowledge it and then focus back on my breath or mantra.

There are many different ways to meditate.  Some people insist on sitting cross legged on the floor while chanting.  That just doesn't do it for me.  Sometimes I meditate sitting down and other times I'm in bed right before I go to sleep.  And sometimes my meditation is a walk outside and other times a walk with my camera in hand. You find what's comfortable for you.  If you would like to learn more about meditation, this is a great website  We live in a world where it is difficult to be still.  We worry about wasting time and if we can't get our to do list checked off then we certainly don't have time to sit around and chant.  One of my favorite quotes about meditation is this…  I hope it inspires you to find some moments of stillness in your life.

“You should sit in meditation for twenty minutes every day — unless you’re too busy.  Then you should sit for an hour.” -Zen proverb

Time Marches On

by Leigh

Before I begin….just a word of thanks for all the love on my last post.  It was much appreciated and much needed. Thank you.

Now onto the matter at hand.  Time.  What feelings come up when you hear the word time?  Not enough? Too little? My heart rate is increasing already! I feel like I'm always in a hurry or rushing around to get those little checks marked off on my to do list.  My days are being dictated by checking off boxes and to be honest…I'm getting a little tired of it.  We live in such a fast paced world and we are constantly fight the clock.  I don't know about you, but the more I fight the more I don't get things done.  I feel defeated and can't seem to find that extra time that I'm so desperately looking for.  And then an article arrived in my inbox the other day that helped to change my perspective on time. 

To paraphrase the article…..With most everything in life, we must remember to take a step back and reflect on our routine.  Find those reasons that we are always in a rush.  If you tell (or more importantly allow) yourself to have all the time in the world, you'll find that everything just falls into place.

It's all about allowing ourselves to have control over our lives and not letting time control us. I have a friend who has a good grasp on this concept.  She commits to scheduling in time for herself.  She has a color coded system in her planner (which is such a great idea) and one color is for "me time".  It was really eye opening to me to look at her week and see all the various colors and how often that "me time" color shows up daily.  That along with prioritizing our to do list and spreading things out over the course of a week instead of trying to jam pack everything into one day can be helpful.  When we put too many things on our daily to do list we are just setting ourselves up for failure. If we make time to rest our body and treat it right, we will perform better.  Try scheduling in things like meditation, exercise, coffee with a friend just like you would paying bills or a doctor appointment.  Louise Hay says, "once we do things that are right for our body and minds, we have all the time in the world. We exhaust ourselves on things that don't matter or aren't good for us, so we don't end up having time for things that are good for us.  Managing and gaining control of your time will allow you to do the stuff you love and feel accomplished at the same time.  You have as much time as you give yourself." (That right there is my A-HA MOMENT!)  

Louise suggests an affirmation: I create my own security by trusting the process of life.

Wandering

by Leigh

Wander

1. to ramble without a definite purpose or objective; roam, rove, or stray

2. to go aimlessly, indirectly, or casually; meaner

3. (of the mind, thoughts, desires, etc..)to take one direction or another without 

conscious intent or control

Sometimes all we need is some space to wander.  When we wander around in a new place or familiar surroundings we are physically moving, but we also can allow our mind to wander off as well.  Meditation has become a part of my life in the last year and it can go hand in hand with wandering. It's that time of quiet that helps to keep me grounded and connected to myself and my surroundings.  It isn't always easy and there are days where I tell myself that I don't have the time to sit to meditate.  How can I accomplish anything if I'm just sitting doing nothing except focusing on my breathing while thinking of…nothing.  But when I let too many days pass without meditating, I notice the impact that it has on me.  I feel more frazzled and little things can get to me easier. My conclusion was that it's not about fitting it into my schedule.  It's about making it a part of my daily life just like brushing my teeth.  

Some of you are probably reading this right now thinking…oh here goes Leigh….the hippy granola wanna be.  You might be visualizing me sitting cross legged on the floor chanting "ommmmmmm" and sometimes that is me, but very rarely is that my "style". Meditation is not just some hip new craze or a bandwagon to jump on.  It's more like an anchor to hold onto that keeps us connected.  For me it can be listening to a meditation podcast while lying in bed before falling asleep or it can be that precious 20 minutes in carpool line where I can close my eyes and just breathe. I have found apps, podcasts and daily emails that help to guide me in my meditation journey.  Who knew that just 20 minutes a day doing nothing could have such an impact on daily life. It's a type of deep relaxation that can be more refreshing than a night of sleep.  It's still relatively new to me, but what would I have given to have learned this early on as a child.  To have the ability to calm yourself down, connect to your breath and find clarity.  I have started to introduce meditation to my kids.  For my daughter certain breathing techniques help her to calm down when she's getting fired up and angry.  She is a very strong willed child whose temper can escalate quickly.  Learning breathing techniques helps her to learn to calm herself down instead of passing the point of no return.  My son is the people pleasing, sensitive type who can have his feelings hurt easily.  Guided meditations have helped him to relax and destress a bit after a long tweenager type of day.  

I bet a lot of you meditate without really realizing that you're doing it! As photographers we like to wander around to find new things to photograph.  Wandering can be a type of contemplative photography which I believe goes hand in hand with meditation.  Wandering around a familiar place, wandering around a new place….just wandering with my camera without other thoughts running through my head.  Wandering appeals to all the senses and a perfect place to just meander around inside your head as well. It's my time with myself, with nature, with God.  All the worries and stress of the day fades away.  The phone calls that need returning, emails to write, schedules to update are no longer occupying a large part of my brain.   Instead a sense of peace and calm has taken it's place and I feel like my photographs reflect that as well.   Wandering gives me fresh eyes to see things in a new way.  

So what do you think?  Do you meditate without really realizing what you're doing?  If you don't, do you want to start?  Need more reasons to give it a go?  check this out!

Studies have been conducted that show meditation has the following benefits on the nervous system:

• lower blood pressure
• improved blood circulation
• lower heart rate
• less perspiration
• slower respiratory rate
• less anxiety
• lower blood cortisol levels
• more feelings of well-being
• less stress
• deeper relaxation

All of those benefits…available through meditation no prescription required!

Here are some resources if you are interested in meditation.

Meditation 101

The Meditation Podcast-I listen to these through a podcast app on my iPhone

GPS4Soul app

Meditation Oasis-I listen to these as a podcast too

Contemplative Photography-Kim Manley Ort

Convergence and a Crossroad

by Kim

"Above all, I crave to seize the whole essence, in the confines 

of one single photograph, of some situation that was in the

process of unrolling itself before my eyes."

- Henri Cartier-Bresson

Henri Cartier-Bresson was a street photographer. And although this is not about street photography, it is still about the essence we can capture in a single photograph in the moments that move through us if we allow them. 

It is about being able to see and fully experience the beauty beneath the exterior of life . . . because even beneath the surface of the grayest of days, both physically and metaphorically, there is something that shimmers, like gold.

For me, photography has always been a kind of spiritual practice. I've always felt that the photograph is secondary to my experience.

But there are some days that the convergence of my heart with the mindfulness of the present does not always become reality and I find myself at a crossroad of sorts.

Just being in the "right spot"isn't enough if I have disconnect between my head and my heart.

And honestly, there are days that I go out with my camera and have every intention of  "finding something" to bring home on my memory card. Those are the days that I find myself the most frustrated.

Because I've forgotten that expectations lead to disappointments, and that the process or practice of putting my camera to my eye is much more about a path of discovery, of myself and the world around me.

And then there are days like this one, where there were no preconceived ideas about what the sunrise should look like. Where I could feel the essence of the morning in a single photograph, and moments lingered like eternity.

"To us, the difference between the photographer as an individual eye and the photographer

as an objective recorder seems fundamental, the difference often regarded, mistakenly, as

separating photography as art from photography as document. But both are logical extensions

of what photography means; note-taking on, potentially, everything in the world, from every

possible angle."  - Susan Sontag

Take A Breath

by Leigh

"Breathing in, I calm body and mind.  Breathing out, I smile.  

Dwelling in the present moment I know this is the only moment."

~Thich Nhat Hanh

Spontaneous or Planned?

 by Leigh

Spontaneous

So which one are you?  Spontaneous or a planner? Do you go about life just waiting to see what's over the next hill or do you carefully plan each step that you take in a rhythmic and methodical manner?

Now think about your approach to photography.  Do you spontaneously shoot or carefully plan out the photograph?  Does your photography match the way you are in your day to day life?

I was just thinking about this the other day after reading the insightful and inspiring post by our guest blogger Kim Manley Ort.  She talked about living a contemplative life through photography.  Her post resonated with me because I've always considered photography to be a meditation of sorts.  I go out with my camera, a calm mind and an open eye and discover what wants to be seen.  It's  very spontaneous and a time to be in the here and now.  I feel a rhythm and an openness with nature and if I can quiet my mind enough then I'm more receptive to hear and see what is out there.  And this is very similar to my day to day life.  Of course, I am a planner when it comes to scheduling work and kids activities and I do enjoy my predictable routine during the week, but on the weekends I like to go with the flow.  

Planned

I am currently taking Kim Klassen's Be Still online photography class and I have to admit….I felt very out of my comfort zone at the beginning.  How could I start to think out my photographs ahead of time when I have alway set out to discover and experience the moments I capture.  But at the same time I feel very much at home because she talks about taking time to breathe and to be still and be inspired.  

Be Still ManifestoI believe ….. there’s bits of lovely everywhere….stop, PAUSE... look...see...Shadow, light.... lines and cracks...the weathered, the worn....tattered, torn....Life is messy.........ups, downs... ins .... outs....Amongst it all... there's beauty ...just waiting to be found. Still life ……
finding pretty pieces… perfectly imperfects…. placing them close and making pretty pictures....
the pause, the quiet, the taking time….. a long cleansing breath……a daily practice.  ~Kim Klassen

She's combining the meditative approach with a well thought out study of still life photography.  I'm realizing that I don't have to be one or the other.  I can be both and find a new aspect of capturing the moment.  Sometimes we all need to be gently pushed out of our comfort zones…don't you think?