Mindful photography: with closeup

Mindful

photography

Pete Lock Photography

By Tracy Calder, co-founder of the annual Close-up Photographer of the Year competition

Mindfulness is a word that’s bandied about a lot these days, but there seems to be some confusion as to what it actually means. Basically, mindfulness means paying attention. Most photographers (and artists) would argue that they are already mindful, but none of us is completely immune to the monkey chatter that babbles away inside our heads. We might be composing a picture when an internal voice shouts, ‘That’s rubbish, don't even bother,’ so we put our cameras away and move on. When our mind is full of judgements, thoughts, feelings and emotions, there is no room for creative thinking, but when we acknowledge these thoughts and let them pass, we make space for moments of perception to occur. The following exercises are designed to encourage a more mindful approach to photography.

1. Delight in the ordinary

Photographer Diane Arbus once said, ‘The Chinese have a theory that you pass through boredom into fascination, and I think it’s true.’ One way of achieving this state of heightened awareness is to select a ‘boring’ subject such as a kettle, brush or, in this instance, a boat hull, and shoot it from as many angles as possible. Notice any lines, textures, patterns, shapes or shadows and how they relate to one another. If you experience boredom, just acknowledge this feeling and carry on. Bembridge Harbour is a great place to practise your skills.

2. Stay well connected

Everything is connected. Think about the elements required to support a tree: the roots to absorb moisture and minerals from the soil, the trunk that supports the limbs and the bark that protects it from external attack. A tree needs sunlight to trigger photosynthesis, rain for moisture and wind to disperse its seeds. In reality, nothing is ever truly isolated – use this knowledge to inform your work. Examples of interconnectedness can be found all around you, but areas such as Nodes Point (with its rockpools) and Parkhurst Forest (with its patches of ancient woodland) are great places to start.

3. Celebrate imperfection

Life is in a state of flux – even rocks that appear solid bear the scars of time passing. The Japanese have a term ‘wabi sabi’ to describe their appreciation of things that are imperfect, incomplete or transient. It’s the joy of a vase with a deep crack that traverses its side like a river, the celebration of a flower as it wilts and becomes sculptural, admiration for a manhole cover as it ages and turns into street art. If we place too much emphasis on perfection and permanency, we risk missing the photo opportunities at our feet.

4. Don’t be afraid of the dark

For some photographers, shadows are something to be eliminated, but when used sensitively they can direct a viewer’s gaze, create mystery, describe form, emphasise texture and add beauty to a composition – they can even be the subject of a picture themselves. The appearance of shadows (how intense, defined, big or small they are) depends on the size, angle and distance of the light source in relation to the object casting the shadow. Striking buildings, such as Quarr Abbey, offer plenty of opportunities for shadow play.

5. Embrace the negative

Most of the time we see the world as a series of objects separated by space – our eyes flit from one object to the next, ignoring the ‘negative’ space between. But negative space should not be thought of as empty; it has an energy and a life of its own. It can help us to work out which parts of a scene belong together, provide space for objects to move (or grow) into, and emphasise the shape and form of key elements. Negative space provides room for thoughts, ideas and creativity to flourish. Frame one of the huts at Small Hope Beach against an empty sky and you’ll soon see what I mean.