EX109 Following your intuition

Can you photograph with intuition?

I think this might be a hard exercise.

Following the advice in this weeks presentation go and photograph something you love, that you usually don’t photograph. And see if you can work intuitively with it.

See if you can work exceptionally quickly and in a manner that expresses your feelings and knowledge about the subject, without much forethought or planning.

I think choosing the subject might be the hardest thing for you.

Hmmmm… something you love, or engage in, that you haven’t photographed… or not photographed much…

Now, for me, that could be my fathers rock collection… perhaps some of his tools…

A classroom or a teacher might be another interesting subject. Suddenly I remember Micheal Kenna’s work ‘Moniques Pre School’. He photographed the empty building after the kids had left each day.

I have just returned to a project I started at Art School. Photographing pollution. I have also just had a camera modified to be a full spectrum camera. So my photographs are taking this new camera out, putting a filter on the front and working as intuitively I can with a new way of seeing.

Post three photographs, where you have pushed yourself to be less scientific and more intuitive.

Think about how you can be more intuitive? This is something we will discuss at length before we talk about the photographs posted in the form.

Photographs and text copyright © Len Metcalf 2021

Ideas for being more intuitive

Being in the moment

Being there

Letting go of your original plan

Tapping into feelings

Your gut reaction to something

Looking for the automatic

Accessing part of our intelligence that isn’t cognitive

Cognitive thinking is about 5% of our thinking

How do we access the 95% of the rest of our thinking

Trying to be more subjective rather than objective

Qualitative rather than quantitive

Reaction

Quietening the mind - quieting the environment

Remove stresses

Remove worries

Give time to get into the zone

Using photography and creativity as a meditative practice

Going out with the camera is an escape from other issues

A regular date with your camera

Learning to quieten down

Looking for something different

Returning to a familiar location

Visiting somewhere known at a different time