Book description
For many people, photography serves as a form of meditation; a way to separate themselves from their stressful lives. In this book, Torsten Andreas Hoffmann explores an approach to artistic photography based on Japanese Zen-Philosophy.
Meditation and photography have much in common: both are based in the present moment, both require complete focus, and both are most successful when the mind is free from distracting thoughts. Hoffman shows how meditation can lead to the source of inspiration.
Hoffman's impressive images of landscapes, cities, people, and nature, as well as his smart image analysis and suggestions about the artistic process, will help you understand this approach to photography without abandoning the principles of design necessary to achieve great images. Photographing busy scenes, especially, requires an inner calm that enables you to have intuition for the right moment and compose a well-balanced image amidst the chaos.
The goal of this book is to develop your photographic expression. It provides enrichment for photographers who believe that only technical mastery produces great images and shows how important it is to engage with your own awareness to act creatively.
Table of contents
- Cover Page
- Copyright Page
- Dedication
- Contents
- 1 Thoughts on Photography and Meditation
- 2 Intriguing Ideas About Zen Philosophy
- 3 Zen Is Not “Light”
- 4 The Practice of Zazen
- 5 Mysticism and Thoughts About the Absence of God
- 6 Eastern and Western Thought
- 7 File Drawers and Direct Experience
- 8 Anecdote
- 9 Is Photography a Life Experienced Second-Hand?
- 10 Photography as a Direct Experience
- 11 Duality Dissolved
- 12 Studium and Punctum
- 13 Impression and Expression
- 14 What is Depth, or the Secret of the Night?
- 15 Inner and Outer Landscapes
- 16 The Alleged Objectivity of Photography
- 17 Basic Moods Expressed
- 18 Representing Beauty without Being Shallow
- 19 Photography as a Puzzle
- 20 Street Photography
- 21 Creating Special Magic
- 22 Photography as Ink Paintings
- 23 Magic in the Detail
- 24 Abstractions
- 25 What is Creativity?
- 26 Image Design Perceived During Meditation
- 27 Subsequent Critical Analysis and Interpretation
- 28 The Path to Your Own Style
Product information
- Title: Photography as Meditation
- Author(s):
- Release date: October 2014
- Publisher(s): Rocky Nook
- ISBN: 9781492016212
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