Friday, November 30, 2012

Drawing the Line



“you should always stop eating before you feel completely full
Yasutani Roshi


 in these last few years i have pretty much learned to see the world as a photoshoot.  when i started doing photography, i had some kind of vague feeling that there was a limit to the great shots i would get.  that i would  eventually run out of subjects or ideas for interesting pics.  



well, just the opposite has proven to be true!  the more i tune my eye, the more opportunities i see all around me.  and the more i share my pics and see what others are sharing, the more ideas i have for new subjects or treatments.  just about anything can be visually interesting if you approach it in the right way!



but i’ve decided that there has to be limits.  a cut-off point.  sometimes i find myself in situations where everywhere i look there is something to be captured with my camera(s).  so i have to draw the line.  just stop.  because sometimes the obsession to get the pics can start to interfere with the experience of being there.  i have seen it happen....



this i believe:
some things are meant just to be experienced – not shared, photographed or documented.  because doing that adds a different dimension to the experience.  a dimension of thinking, planning, rehearsing…. all of which can detract from the true zen of being there.


 personally, i find the trend of sharing and documenting every tiny and intimate detail of our personal lives on social media to be over the top.  there are no limits to it and, taken to the extreme, i feel it’s an unhealthy trend.  it takes us out of the moment.  and we need to be spending more time in the moment…. not less (thanks for listening....)


i spent a couple of days hiking in the mountains this week and this was one of the things i was thinking about.  when i was thinking....

 

7 comments:

  1. so beautiful, so true,

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  2. boy that is SO true!! sometimes you just need to sit in the experience and not document it by camera but by feelings that wash over you!

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  3. So agree with you, Miss Patty - oh wise woman that you are! Your photos as usual are gorgeous - the light in that last shot - a miracle. hugs, Donna

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  4. I agree with you very much Patty, I have been much more aware of the beauty around me thanks to my interest in taking photos of my neighborhood. Things I hadn't noticed before gets another value but the blog has also given it a new dimension as I get response from readers who find my photos exotic as they live in other places. But I have also noticed lately that I can see things and enjoy them without taking a photo. I just watch them and feel very pleased in that moment, it happens for example when I am riding the bike to work in the early mornings.

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  5. It's sort of like the more you find..the more you see. It really is an endless adventure!

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  6. i was just telling a friend today that i wished that i was better at photography. so often i just snap the phone for the sake of posting something. maybe this month i will carry my big girl camera with me daily and take the time to really look. you really gave me something to consider. gosh i love that.

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  7. Dear Patty-I SO agree with you! I think we've actually chatted about this:) We (I am so guilty of this!!) can get so caught up in FB/Twitter/blogging etc...that life can just escape us. It's unhealthy and...leads to burnout!!! P.S. Wish I could stop eating sooner though:)

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