This post’s photos are inspired by an exercise from Contemplative Photography: Seeing the World with Fresh Eyes by Andy Wood and Michael Karr. Many books discuss the technical issues of taking great pictures, but this book is one of the few I’ve read so far that explains how (and why!) to see.
One Friday this past September, I was driving across town when I came to a railroad crossing blocked by this train just parked on the tracks. “Argh! Now I have to turn around and—hey, wait a second…” This was a great opportunity to slow down my racing mind and take a few contemplative photos. No, the universe didn’t “have it in for me,” not at all. Here was an unexpected opportunity to see beauty in the everyday, the mundane. In other words, it was a blessing.
While the results aren’t strictly by the rules set forth in the book’s “20 Shots” exercise, I still enjoyed the time I spent letting my “thinking mind” relax and my “seeing mind” have some fun.
