I had the idea that it would be good to let people know how the calendar images and verses came about, simply as a means of adding to the viewing and in this way enhancing a practice. So, as a beginning here is my view of what taking photos is all about. I see there as being three aspects
- Firstly there is the occasion itself - the moment - that is present in the real world; the world that is out there and of which we are a part. Sometimes the moment is still, and sometimes it is in motion. The scene is always changing and it becomes something different a moment later. Any moment therefore contains both its own stillness and its movement and this notion is the potentiality that the photographic image is trying to capture.
- The next aspect is the act of taking the photograph itself and in this there is a wonderful process of seeing the world as it is and relating to it as part of it. This is the process of lifting the viewfinder to the eye and pressing the button. This act is an act in and of itself and it is most complete when there is no thought of what the outcome might be or of how ‘I am’ in this particular location. It is most complete when it just occurs spontaneously and exists as a simple action of the moment.
- The third and final aspect is viewing the image and of course, it is not just the photographer who does this, as there are other viewers, sometimes anonymous, who will look at the image.
Each person will have their own response to the image. Some images may evoke stillness and settledness whilst other may evoke the more dynamic processes of change and life in motion. Each viewer will have a different response to each image; sometimes memories will arise and other times thoughts, sometimes likes and dislikes, sometimes curiosity and sometimes acceptance. Whatever is evoked is open to reflection and investigation and to lay a foundation for that investigation I often put short verses next to the image to assist that process.
And so to the first image on the front cover. It was taken in Pontcanna Fields, a large park in Cardiff. I was riding my bike and in the far distance I saw some people doing Tai Chi. Resisting the impulse to get closer I took some pictures from a distance.
In this image three large trees stand firmly tall, two people are matched in their position and one person is in a different stage of the movements. Even though these three elements have a different form there is a way in which they are synchronized, with movement/stillness suggested by the human figures and stillness/movement suggested by the trees. Sometimes in this life it can feel as if we are not synchronized with anything around ourselves; we can feel as if our own movements are tumbling in a direction not linked to anything around us. If we sit and focus on what is arising in our movement we will find that synchronicity and complementarity are a natural part of the way we are and the way in which we are a part of the universe in which we sit.
As Thích Nhất Hạnh says "There is nowhere to arrive except the present moment."
So now a verse to go with this image:
gently moving in the wind
the trees
join the dance
I intend to provide a brief comment for each month’s image on the first of that month. So next up January 1st 2016. I’ll be in touch then.
