You have a fantastic eye for a photograph, whether it be street, landscape or, I suspect, any other genre. As my mentor, David Ward, is fond of saying, “nobody ever wept over how sharp a picture is”, the image must contain some emotion from the photographer if we want it to provoke a reaction from the viewer. Your description of the feeling you get from photography is very similar to how I feel although I’m not sure I could word it so well. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks Dave for this kind comment. Regarding sharpness, that’s exactly what my mentor told me. And regarding that feeling, it is challenging to put it into words, however I simply let my heart express itself. I believe we all get the same feeling from photography. Such a beautiful hobby!
To quote you, your photos are not even close to 'nothing short of impressive', they are really beautiful! I have a thing for landscapes, especially mountain lakes, so thank you! :)
Thank you so much for this article which I just read, and I hope to go back and reread and ponder. I am a nature photographer as well as a rabbi I once spoke to my spiritual advisor and told her that I was trying to be more committed to my morning meditation, but I was always drawn to go outside and take photos. She got me to realize that nature photography IS my primary spiritual practice. I am also a writer and writing gives me a similar satisfaction, but it is a lot harder than nature photography, which I experience with a sense of play and ease. Writing, by contrast is much more work, but puts me into a sense of flow and can be healing of past events. I love to reread the things that I wrote. And I love to look at my photos because it takes me back to that very moment and what I was experiencing then. And either way I can share these things with other people and stir something in their hearts and help them see something they had not seen or articulate something they had not articulated.
I also think you are right that other people have different arts and expressions that put them in this state. I like to call them "holy hobbies."
I have to apologize because I didn't respond to you, instead I responded to my post thinking that it is to you. This is what I wrote... :)
This is a beautiful comment that I feel from the bottom of my heart.💜 What else to say? My strategy is to approach my spiritual practice from 2 different angles at the same time: 1. Meditation, contemplation, psychedelics, and 2. Creative expression in terms of photography and writing. It feels like an invincible combo🤗 Glad I found you, or you me, whatever👍
It's interesting that you mention psychedelics, because I received the gift of nature photography after being a subject in a research study at Johns Hopkins, in which clergy were given two supervised sessions on psilocybin.
Lovely ode to just being, through photography. I feel a similar way with taking photos but more deeply when I sketch. As you say, Davor - we just need to find our own favourite way of appreciating and engaging with being.
As usual, the photos are superb, but what strikes me is the writing and message, Davor. There's so much here. "When I reflect on my life, I often find myself in a state of chronic tension and slight dissatisfaction, where life looks more like an obligation or a burden rather than a source of joy or bliss." YES. I relate. I also relate to the fleeting, childlike joyous feelings that are so hard to grasp until that chronic tension sets in again. However, in time, we learn to harness the joy more and more. I too am primarily a street photographer but during the pandemic, I got into wildlife and landscapes. I love it! It would be great to hop a plane and we could go shoot some of those brilliant scenes...Thank you for a lovely introduction to my day!
The fact that we could resonate on the same frequency makes my soul fulfilled. Joint photo walk would be great 😉 Drop me a note if you are visiting this part of the Europe sometimes🤗
Davor, these pictures are incredible. The intro pic with majestic mountains reflecting in the water, superb! The tree, (tree lover here) reminded me of a fantasyland that I could just jump in the photo. How did you manage the reflection of the people on the dock? I’m not a photographer and if I take a picture, I’m praying that it comes out clear and not blurry. All I can say is, these were delightful and I can feel the emotions in all these pictures. Thanks Davor.
This is such a lovely comment. Thank you so much. The reflection was there by itself. I had a zoom lens and I have cropped the image subsequently. It is not difficult to take a photo these days. However, to get something more, you have to develop the feeling and affinity which comes with practice. Overall, a beautiful hobby. Glad you can feel these photos. It is all about the feeling🥂
This is a beautiful comment that I feel from the bottom of my heart.💜 What else to say? My strategy is to approach my spiritual practice from 2 different angles at the same time: 1. Meditation, contemplation, psychedelics, and 2. Creative expression in terms of photography and writing. It feels like an invincible combo🤗 Glad I found you, or you me, whatever👍
You have a fantastic eye for a photograph, whether it be street, landscape or, I suspect, any other genre. As my mentor, David Ward, is fond of saying, “nobody ever wept over how sharp a picture is”, the image must contain some emotion from the photographer if we want it to provoke a reaction from the viewer. Your description of the feeling you get from photography is very similar to how I feel although I’m not sure I could word it so well. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks Dave for this kind comment. Regarding sharpness, that’s exactly what my mentor told me. And regarding that feeling, it is challenging to put it into words, however I simply let my heart express itself. I believe we all get the same feeling from photography. Such a beautiful hobby!
loved what you wrote about writing and photography, for me, it's a way to reconnect to life.
It definitely is. Thanks for the comment!
To quote you, your photos are not even close to 'nothing short of impressive', they are really beautiful! I have a thing for landscapes, especially mountain lakes, so thank you! :)
Wow, thank you! I'm glad the photos resonated with you. Mountain waters are truly mesmerizing, aren't they?;)
My dream is to one day live in a house by a mountain lake :)
Thank you so much for this article which I just read, and I hope to go back and reread and ponder. I am a nature photographer as well as a rabbi I once spoke to my spiritual advisor and told her that I was trying to be more committed to my morning meditation, but I was always drawn to go outside and take photos. She got me to realize that nature photography IS my primary spiritual practice. I am also a writer and writing gives me a similar satisfaction, but it is a lot harder than nature photography, which I experience with a sense of play and ease. Writing, by contrast is much more work, but puts me into a sense of flow and can be healing of past events. I love to reread the things that I wrote. And I love to look at my photos because it takes me back to that very moment and what I was experiencing then. And either way I can share these things with other people and stir something in their hearts and help them see something they had not seen or articulate something they had not articulated.
I also think you are right that other people have different arts and expressions that put them in this state. I like to call them "holy hobbies."
I have to apologize because I didn't respond to you, instead I responded to my post thinking that it is to you. This is what I wrote... :)
This is a beautiful comment that I feel from the bottom of my heart.💜 What else to say? My strategy is to approach my spiritual practice from 2 different angles at the same time: 1. Meditation, contemplation, psychedelics, and 2. Creative expression in terms of photography and writing. It feels like an invincible combo🤗 Glad I found you, or you me, whatever👍
It's interesting that you mention psychedelics, because I received the gift of nature photography after being a subject in a research study at Johns Hopkins, in which clergy were given two supervised sessions on psilocybin.
Interesting to know. I like psychedelics and use them exclusively for meditation and introspection.:)
Lovely ode to just being, through photography. I feel a similar way with taking photos but more deeply when I sketch. As you say, Davor - we just need to find our own favourite way of appreciating and engaging with being.
Thanks for a comment. Yes, we have to find something that is truly ours, whatever that is.✨
Beautiful reflections Davor and yes the photos!
Thanks a lot. Glad you like it👍
As usual, the photos are superb, but what strikes me is the writing and message, Davor. There's so much here. "When I reflect on my life, I often find myself in a state of chronic tension and slight dissatisfaction, where life looks more like an obligation or a burden rather than a source of joy or bliss." YES. I relate. I also relate to the fleeting, childlike joyous feelings that are so hard to grasp until that chronic tension sets in again. However, in time, we learn to harness the joy more and more. I too am primarily a street photographer but during the pandemic, I got into wildlife and landscapes. I love it! It would be great to hop a plane and we could go shoot some of those brilliant scenes...Thank you for a lovely introduction to my day!
The fact that we could resonate on the same frequency makes my soul fulfilled. Joint photo walk would be great 😉 Drop me a note if you are visiting this part of the Europe sometimes🤗
I’d love that!
🤗🙌
Davor, these pictures are incredible. The intro pic with majestic mountains reflecting in the water, superb! The tree, (tree lover here) reminded me of a fantasyland that I could just jump in the photo. How did you manage the reflection of the people on the dock? I’m not a photographer and if I take a picture, I’m praying that it comes out clear and not blurry. All I can say is, these were delightful and I can feel the emotions in all these pictures. Thanks Davor.
This is such a lovely comment. Thank you so much. The reflection was there by itself. I had a zoom lens and I have cropped the image subsequently. It is not difficult to take a photo these days. However, to get something more, you have to develop the feeling and affinity which comes with practice. Overall, a beautiful hobby. Glad you can feel these photos. It is all about the feeling🥂
This is a beautiful comment that I feel from the bottom of my heart.💜 What else to say? My strategy is to approach my spiritual practice from 2 different angles at the same time: 1. Meditation, contemplation, psychedelics, and 2. Creative expression in terms of photography and writing. It feels like an invincible combo🤗 Glad I found you, or you me, whatever👍