The Cold Barn
The state of mind of a photographer while creating is a blank…For those who would equate “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 pre-formed 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. (Not just life, but “a” life). – Minor White, The Camera Mind and Eye
There was a time when my idea of conceiving life was nowhere close to this quote. I was in a different place in life and in my photography. I now feel the words I share, the way I live life and the images I share all have the power to conceive a life. That belief is the reason I will do my best to treat people in a positive way.That belief is also the reason I will venture out on a cold December day with a camera and tripod. And as I head out the door there is no “pre-formed” scene just a desire to experience this beautiful world. And, just what will I find?
8 Comments
Beautiful, beautiful post, Monte.
Thanks, Chris!
This is a great shot, Monte. Convert to B&W and it could pass for something Minor White might shoot.
Strange how it never entered my mind to convert this to black and white. But, what novel idea and one I must try. Thanks, Ken.
Monte, your post rather reminds me of a verse of the Tao Te Ching:
It is certainly better when we go out with a container, ready to be filled, rather than a container already full of our own expectations. Excellent post, Monte and a fabulous attitude.
That reading sounds familiar, may have read it somewhere before. I believe it, too. Sometimes I walk out the door with nothing, just an urge to move and take a camera. Did that this morning at the hotel. Quiet time will prepare me for those walks with a camera. No worries about the images, just look and see. If my mind is empty I seem to see more. No what I mean?
This is an excellent example of a minimalist landscape. Minor White’s words and yours are also good. Sometimes I go out photographing with a specific idea in mind, and sometimes that works, but I’m always glad when I find things that I hadn’t anticipated, or when I see familiar things in a new way.
Glad you stopped by and left a comment. Those preconceived images we have must remain alive, they may be presented to us next time out there.
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[...] when I left the apartment. I had to change plans when I got there. The last time I shot this barn at sunrise I did not have an oil drilling rig off to my left. Damn! How quickly man changes things. [...]