I took a picture with my mind

Mindful photography

There are times I saw something so beautiful, so inspiring, that I somehow couldn’t find it in me to lift the camera to record it. I don’t know why this is. Maybe the wide-eyed look I had as a child trying to make sense of the world. These scenes are more than just an observation. They are breath taking, spiritual experiences which encourage thought and inspiration. These events, as the be, are communicating. They are saying something.

I once saw a deer in the back yard, not 20 feet from a giant glass door. It stood there for hours munching the leaves on a toppled over viburnum shrub. It was the most elegant, fit looking buck on the planet. It had an eight point rack, thick coated neck, and eyeliner that would make any teenager jealous. Because I never get to observe deer in the wild too much, I thought how small it seemed compared to a horse. I thought how courageous it was to be there for so long with a spotlight shining on it from the back porch. I thought of his friends that may be in the woods and how he might survive the winter once all the leaves are gone. I thought about a lot, but I didn’t think to pick up my camera. I’ve had this happen to me several times. I have the camera with me, next to me, but so deep in thought I neglect to push the button. The actual photo becomes less important than the image I impregnate in my mind. I am present in the experience. A good photo, scrubbed.

A photo can be taken, but somehow that image never really describes the event. A photo can dilute the experience. It’s not the same thing as being there. A photo is a reminder that something happened but it lacks information not capable of being recorded by a camera. Photos, that transfer the experience to another person, are usually the best images.