EX117 Contemplate Colour

Whilst many people will tell us that colours are loaded with meaning, myself included, there is a very different way to experience colour. One where we look at colour out of any context, without labels, thoughts and emotions. Doing so allows us to become a more contemplative photographer.

This is an exercise that you can do over and over again, and see if you can sharpen your perception.

When you work on this exercise keep a narrow focus on colour.

Look at colour in a simple and open way.

If you stray to other intentions, your shooting will become vague.

When you see flashes of colour - free from concept - eye and mind will be on the same axis.

Look at colour out of context.

Look as a child would look: free from associations, memories, reference points, likes or dislikes.

Look at signs or posters as colour and form rather than words and messages.

Try to avoid being caught by colourful objects, things you think of as colourful.

Trying to shoot colourful objects will sidetrack you with the labelling process.

Look deeper, more directly, nakedly.

Try to boycott conceptual knowledge about what you are looking at.

Look at the world in colour.

See the redness of red, the Blueness of blue, without superimposing anything on them at all.

At some point you will experience just flashes of colour.

For the purposes of this assignment, black, white and grey are not colours. Look for bold vivid colours.

Do not shoot designs, graffiti, or graphics.

Do not shoot words or numbers.

Forget about shooting nature or flowers.

Get in close

Do not include anything extra.

Just shoot with the intention of shooting colour.

When you are stopped by a flash of colour, stop physically. Spend a minute looking further, contemplating what stopped you, without lifting your camera.

Understand what you see. Where does your perception start, and where does it end? What is included and what is not? IS the perception vertical or horizontal?

Raise your camera and look at your perception through the viewfinder or on the screen. Ask yourself what stopped you.

Make the necessary adjustments to your camera.

Release the shutter

Enjoy yourself

Remember there are infinite perceptions. When you find yourself struggling to take a picture or you lose track of what stopped you, walk away and start over.

After shooting, keep looking! Try to maintain a light intention to look and see.

Leave your photographs for a while before you look at them.

TAKE YOUR TIME WITH THEM.

Let go of ones that don’t quite make it. That is ok.

Post three photographs in our forum. No words. No discussion.

https://lensclub.discussion.community/post/ex117-contemplative-colour-11793923?pid=1326892727#post1326892727

We will discuss this on a Tuesday Len’s Class. It is uncertain if it will be next Tuesday or the following one at this moment.

This weeks exercise is modified from the book pp 57-59 ‘The Practice of Contemplative Photography’ by Andy Karr and Michael Wood, Shambhala, 2011