photography | Heroes Not Zombies

Archive for the ‘photography’ Category

at this very moment….

Posted in from the dark room, life, photography on May 2, 2011| Leave a Comment »

…when you push the shutter button, your camera captures this very moment…

….which you couldn’t have predicted was about to occur.

April showers

Posted in from the dark room, photography on May 1, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Ever heard “March winds, April showers, bring forth May flowers”?
Well, we’ve certainly been getting the April showers – the temple next door to the hotel was well prepared though!

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May, the month of beginnings, budding and new growth

Posted in from the dark room, from the living room, personal growth, photography on May 1, 2011| 3 Comments »

In my “months with meaning“, May, is the month of new beginnings (think of the Darling Buds of May). It’s a time for new growth, of the unfurling and unleashing of potential.

So, what are you going to begin NOW?

How would you like to grow, NOW?

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Green

Posted in from the dark room, photography on April 30, 2011| 2 Comments »

Taking tea in a green room……guess what colour the tea was?

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Love

Posted in from the dark room, from the living room, life, photography on April 30, 2011| Leave a Comment »

On the day a third of the world watched a single wedding (you know who I mean!), I spotted this couple walking in the grounds of a temple in Kyoto.

Here’s my theme for today – LOVE – let’s spread more of it…..

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The rain

Posted in from the dark room, photography on April 29, 2011| Leave a Comment »

One great thing about the rain….

….is that it makes plants shine and sparkle….

……and turns the world green….

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Holistic photography

Posted in from the dark room, photography on April 28, 2011| 2 Comments »

When I look through my camera lens, I don’t just notice what the lens is pointing at. I notice what lies around, in front of, or behind that object. It’s the whole image which I find satisfying. Not just a photo of a leaf, or a flower, or a whatever, but a photo of it in it’s context….the emergent object within its environment…..a holistic photograph?
Take a look at these photos of acer leaves and see what I mean?

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Saying it with flowers….the amazement of the every day

Posted in from the dark room, photography on April 28, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Just around the corner from the hotel where I’m staying in Kyoto is the Higashi-Honganji temple where they are currently celebrating Shinran’s 750th anniversary.

One of the amazing things to appear there today are these wonderful murals made from tulips….

and, finally…….a close up….

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How we see the world

Posted in from the dark room, from the living room, life, perception, personal growth, photography on April 27, 2011| 1 Comment »

As I wandered today I wondered……don’t we all perceive the world differently? If our stories, our personal stories, shape our selves, which is how it seems to me, then our experiences will frame our present reality. We experience today in the light of our past experiences and our imagined futures. Stories all have this movement….from the past, to the present, to the future – a beginning, a middle and an end I suppose.
So one of the most powerful ways in which memories and dreams can create our present is how they frame our perception and our interpretation of today’s experiences.

What frames are you aware of? Which memories, which dreams or fears, create the frames of your present?

The other thing I wondered about today was about the uniqueness of our individual perspectives. We can only experience the world as a subject, as this subject, living this life. So, how does the world look from your unique, subjective perspective?

(this is a view from the tatami mats, across the strips of carpet, towards the Japanese garden – this is a view from where I was kneeling)

Finally, how can we share these ways of seeing? How can we develop our inter-subjective experience? One way, for me, is through the sharing of our stories. You can share your experience by telling me it. I can share mine, by telling you…..or by showing you what I caught with my camera…..(I’m sure you can think of other ways too)

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A culture of belief

Posted in from the dark room, photography on April 26, 2011| 5 Comments »

It strikes me there’s something thin and impoverished about a purely materialistic culture. If it’s possible to imbue meaning into the everyday then I think life shines more brightly.
It’s hard not to be impressed with how the Japanese people have coped with, and continue to cope with, the aftermath of the 11th March quake, tsunami and nuclear leaks. I’m certainly no expert in Japanese culture or people, but as I stroll around Kyoto this week, how could I fail to notice how much belief, and the symbols of belief are everywhere. The temple next door is having a 750th anniversary celebration and there are bus loads arriving every day. There isn’t a temple where there aren’t queues to say a short prayer, pull the bell rope, and ring the bell.
It’s not just impressive. It seeps in. I feel the better for just mingling…..