Why I Photo: Part I
A photo narrative
I photograph because it makes me feel a part of the natural landscape. I find the actual experience of photography humbling; to see nature as a canvas and the camera, a lens that gives me a way into this moment. My photos are untouched. No filters, no clean up. Just raw. Because it’s the lived moment I’m trying to be within. Not to “take,” not to “capture” (as if to posses) but to be fused as part of this landscape, so I can lose the me. My visual obsession is the intersection of human’s and nature’s design. Humbly observing, the ways nature, ultimately supersedes; not necessarily “taking back” but by working its way through the cracks and crevices formed by our vulnerabilities, by our finiteness. A kind of growing with and through that ultimately envelops us, leaving only traces of our toiled marks to be seen as seeds for what’s to come. When I notice this relationship between nature and human I am strangely comforted by it. I can breathe a little more freely, shrinking my ego back down to a manageable size and finding my place here on this earth. I am not separate from but planted within this landscape. For me, the camera is a tool for meditation, for finding peace and clarity and a way for me to live a more fulfilled life. It’s not so you can see me but for the me to dissipate behind this lens.
©Breathe & Be Still
Why I Photo is a 5-part photo narrative that explores the art of photography as a vehicle for authenticity and present-moment awareness. For me, photography is an art form that (when practiced mindfully) helps to reduce the ego back down to its diminutive size.
Follow the link below to read more from this series. It’s intended to be read chronologically.
Why I Photo: A counterculture clash with the selfie
