Remembering to be Human

Regardless of what I'm doing during any given day, I'm always thinking of ideas, concepts and ways that I might use my photographs to show others just how amazing the natural world truly is. Honestly, I find it strange that there is even a need for the service that I provide –it just seems so obvious to me– but then again, I've always been a little odd. Sometimes I'm exhausted by it all and other times I'm exhilarated. Either way, when my head is in the clouds, my feet aren't on the ground. I'm not mentally tall enough to have it both ways at once, I'm afraid.

It recently occurred to me that during the last few years, I have forgotten some of what it means to be human; to find out what it means to be in the world and live in the skin that I was given. I need to try and remember. By this I don't mean consuming more stuff or anything like that, just what it means to walk on this earth and be a part of the natural world myself without expectation or agenda beyond supplying my basic needs.

Being human isn't a bad thing as some might contend: Our species has every right to be here just as much as the next insect, plant or bird in the air. The problem arises from our amazing and (frighteningly) unique ability to deny where we've come from and the ways that we've replaced our relationship with that source for our own greed, insecurity and misinformation. The other vital issue –and perhaps the most critical one at that– is that we have tricked ourselves into believing that we can continue to live this way, imagining that a reliance on our own ingenuity will allow this path to continue on for perpetuity.

This year, I'm most definitely going to be doing my fair share of hard work, scheming, dreaming, making images and sitting in front of monitor for more time than I would prefer. However, I am also going to be diligently seeking the frame of mind where I can go out into the woods and listen to a bird singing, just being thankful for its song without an agenda but with appreciation for another moment that I've been given here on this most amazing planet that we call home.

People Patterns

When my wife Kari and I were in New York last week we had an opportunity to visit The Strand Bookstore in Greenwich Village, which claims to showcase “18 miles of books!” Personally, I was in heaven but had to soon retreat before my bank account began to stretch as much as my overstuffed suitcase.

I happened to find a really cool little book by Welsh artist and writer David Wade entitled “LI: Dynamic Forms in Nature.” In this quick read, Wade explores commonly occurring patterns and forms found throughout nature. I’ve always been fascinated by the Golden Section but find this much easier to grasp since I am dreadful at mathematics.

Browsing through its pages, I was reminded of just how connected all aspects of nature really are. Regardless of how much time we may spend convincing ourselves that we are exempt from the need to be a part of creation, it just doesn’t add up. That is a sum that even I can formulate correctly!

As we walked through Central Park, I marveled at the throng of people who flocked there to be amongst the trees. Even in a city like New York, where there is an opportunity to feed every imagined human desire, the need to connect with something deeper cannot be shed.

Photo-Meditation

I just finished reading a really great book called "The Tao of Photography: Seeing Beyond Seeing" by Philippe L. Gross and S.I. Shapiro which I found to be very refreshing and inspiring.

After spending several years shooting with magazine publishing in mind, I had reached a point where my images were too formulaic . I found myself shooting each image with a place for copy to drop in and catering my direction towards what a given editor might like. Of course, this isn't a bad thing if your goal is to just get published but I had lost some of the feeling of wonder towards my overriding subject matter –the natural world. I longed to regain some of the magic in my photography and my photo outings.

For me, one of the key pieces of advice in the book concerns letting go of the practice of placing parameters on what kind of images you want to shoot (style, not necessarily subject matter) and instead gravitate towards what moves you most. It explores the idea that in order to be receptive to what nature/life presents you daily, you have to let go of the reins a bit. This is where the "Tao" part comes in.

Although this all seems quite simple, perhaps, it has been very rejuvenating to me and I have regained zeal as a result of reading this text. If you are stuck in a creative rut try this book out. There is no such thing as a miracle cure but this certainly helps.