Why do certain photographs make themselves at home within our memory, while the majority are quickly forgotten? A photograph created by an artist like Minor White may initially appear to be nothing more than a wall of confusion, but over time reveal a depth of experience that invites us back time after time as new doorways continue to appear. Comparatively, the majority of todays most spectacular images made by contemporary photographers will scream nothing more than “LOOK AT ME I’M PRETTY”. A photograph can be created in many different ways, and the image’s lasting importance will vary wildly depending on the chosen path. 

    The most common way to make a photograph in the loosely defined fine art photography tradition is by taking the heavily trodden first path. Those on this path are heavily influenced by popularity, and keep one ear to the ground, listening to the audience and catering to their wishes. Success is often determined by location and conditions, forcing the photographer to seek only the most picturesque scenes during the most dramatic times of the day, even going so far as to carry out marketing research to discover what kind of images sell or get the most “likes”. When everything works out, a rather obvious and painfully repetitive composition is settled on, and yet another beautiful picture is taken. Back in the studio, the photographer utilizes various post processing techniques to really hijack the eyes of the viewers, ending up with an idyllic depiction of an already magnificent scene. This could be a fun way to make photographs that will attract attention with little risk of failure, but these images will rarely have any artistic value. Because of the easy and likely success with this type of photograph it can become a difficult phase to progress out of, and a quick browse of Instagram’s most popular images on any given day will reveal that the majority of today’s “superstar” photographers remain stuck in this initial phase. But for those attempting to live an authentic life as an artist, this path should be nothing more than an early stepping stone on the artistic journey.

The second type of photograph is much harder to do successfully, and is photography’s actual entry point into the world of art. It requires a complete disregard of what the potential viewers would want to see, focusing instead on staying true to one’s own artistic integrity by listening to the quiet inner voice over the shouting of the majority. On this path the photographer actively searches the world for visual evidence of things felt, and learns to recognize the connection between the discovered subjects, and the thoughts, emotions or circumstances that they have personally experienced in their own lives, utilizing the finished photograph as a conduit between form and feeling. This method is often used when one is feeling a strong emotion and then relates on a personal level to a subject that exudes that same emotion. Discovering a scene that connects on such a deep personal level, during a time of emotional turmoil can bring about unexplainable healing, and witnessing a visual manifestation of something that had only been a feeling until that moment can truly have a profound impact on one’s life. This way of working has many virtues and definitely has its place, but may not be the ideal approach as a daily practice.

I believe that the third path is the one that we should all aspire to follow as it goes far beyond the camera to become a way of life, placing a priority on mindfulness over method, utilizing the camera as a tool for the growth of awareness and understanding. In place of the search for specific subject matter that lends itself to human concepts and feelings, a free and receptive state of mind is cultivated, what is known in Zen Buddhism as Beginner’s mind. Minor White describes it as this, “A photographer’s state of mind while creating should be blank, but for those who would equate this “blank” with a kind of static emptiness, I must explain that this is a special kind of blank. It is a very active state of mind really, a very receptive state of mind, ready at an instant to grasp an image, yet with no image pre-formed in it at any time. We should note that the lack of a preformed pattern or preconceived idea of how anything ought to look is essential to this blank condition. Such a state of mind is not unlike a sheet of film itself, seemingly inert, yet so sensitive that a fraction of a second’s exposure conceives a life in it”. To function in this state, the artist should approach each photographic exploration as a contemplative practice, striving to become not only a seer, but more importantly a receptive seeker, capable of extending the visual antennae out into the world, to penetrate ever deeper into the true nature of our surroundings. Learning to listen with the eyes to the stories that the subject has to tell, free of our own pre-conceived notions, and then responding intuitively when the gem like moments of insight do arise.

    We usually remember the details surrounding the creation of our photographs, the sights, sounds, smells, or perhaps our own thoughts or dilemmas at the time. This is not the case on the fourth path, which is shrouded in fog and full of mystery as these images only appear when we return from a photographic exploration and are unable to even remember making one of the photographs. These photographs can emerge as gifts, harbingers of understanding, and I believe them to be a direct manifestation of our spirit quietly rising up from within us and out into the world. They appear infrequently and most unexpected and will not bend to our will. They are not the result of active thought, cognitive abilities, or techniques, and in the moments leading up to their creation the conscious mind completely turns away from the scene, while something deep inside of us whispers “stop, and listen”. When we subconsciously heed this call we become free to make meaningful artwork that comes from a place that is buried somewhere within us, but is impossible to find. I believe that deep down, every one of us know something that we don’t know that we know, and to tap into this hidden wisdom we must learn to nurture our creative voice, and allow it freedom to be what it wants, when it wants, heeding intuition over cognition, and striving to be ready and willing messengers in those moments of freedom when our spirit takes the wheel. 

On all but the well worn and ever popular first path, meaningful content takes precedence over beautiful scenery, which explains why these images rarely align with what the majority would consider a “good” photograph. Meanwhile social media continues to get a daily influx of absolutely gorgeous images of the world’s most exotic places, images that not only have the door to understanding unlocked, but the entire wall torn down. With this becoming the new norm, how can we expect anyone to spend the required time trying to decipher the meaning of a more obscure or confusing photograph that didn’t catch their eye in the first place? This is the great challenge for not only photography but for all art forms, as we see the subtle but extremely powerful music of composer Einaudi Ludovico fly under the radar, while mumble rap takes over pop culture, and the incredibly deep and meaningful writing of Guy Tal all but ignored as everyone watches reality dating shows on the television. Ansel Adams said many years ago “Let us not forget that there will only be a very small audience for anything that is worthwhile”. Each and every one of us have to answer some very serious questions for ourselves, questions that penetrate much deeper than photography. The answers to these questions will determine not only which path we will follow, but more importantly what kind of person we are to become. Will we follow convenience and take the path of least resistance, or will we choose to fight our way through uncharted forest, guided only by the occasional flicker of our own North Star as we navigate what the Yaqui Indians refer to as “the path with heart”? Knowing full well that this path is all too often buried beneath countless difficulties, lined with monetary failures and ultimately leads to a wonderful eden that’s rich bounties will be ignored by practically everyone but ourselves.