Begin Again and Repeat Again
Photography is like a lovely circle
The photographs shared here are from my ongoing series Beach stories.
Have you heard about this concept called the beginner’s mind? If you haven’t already, the beginner’s mind means a perspective that involves an open mind without any baggage or preconceived notions. Having a beginner’s mind helps in keeping every experience fresh. In photography cultivating it can enhance creativity and allow one’s craft to evolve.
This has been my experience every time I have photographed a particular beach in India. Interestingly each time I go there and purposefully with a beginner’s mind, I feel the same sense of wonder and appreciation that I had felt the first time I visited it. The emotions that I experience through this approach are reflected in my photos as well. This process also allows me to experiment and push my creative boundaries to the next level.
I think having a beginner's mind is not enough, repetition in photography is equally important. By visiting the beach year after year, I can create new visual narratives. I notice a little more each time, I observe newer elements each time and I capture something different each time.
Going back to a subject or a landscape allows me the liberty to experiment and make mistakes and then the opportunity to correct them. Revisiting the scene gives me the chance to get a better photograph. I can also try out varied story-telling elements combined with technical possibilities. The idea here is to push the boundaries, reflect and refine till I get the result I desire.
Reappearing at a scene has allowed me to attempt to build a body of work. Over the years, I have developed a comfort level and familiarity with these beach visits. Photographing here has given me a signature style that is perhaps perceptible to others as well. Cultivating a beginner’s mind along with repeating my subject many times has led me to document change and transformation on the beach and its surroundings. This effort I hope will feed into the visual diary that I am creating to document the seascape and the passage of time.
Thanks so much for stopping by here! I am a media professional and a self-taught photographer based in Hyderabad, India. My interests are landscape and street photography. You can check out and connect with me on my Instagram handle where I am most active: https://www.instagram.com/morjariaphotography/
