Searching the Web for "Photography as a Spiritual Practice"

I Googled "photography as a spiritual practice" and got more than 173,000 web search results! But once beyond the fourth page of results (about 40 entries) the relevance to the topic diminshes markedly.

Here's a quick summary of my superficial and semi-random survey of the entries.  When I include specific links, they are as examples, and not endorsements, judgments of worthiness, or reflections of my own views. 

I am sure there are hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of photographers out there who have felt the connection of their work with things bigger than themselves.  Many must feel moved in a deep interior place of their emotions when they reflect upon this connection. I'm not offering this as a review of their images or of their postings.

Sites dealiing with this topic include:

• Photographers promoting their own images (Example1)
• Workshop offerings (Example1, Example2, Example3)
• Religious practitioners (Example1, Example2)
• Retreats (Example1, Example2)

My own position is that there is a secular practice of spirituality that is not grounded in the vocabulary of religion or worship.  All artistis who create works that move others invest an energy and connectedness in their pieces that they are able to communicate to their audience. This is what artistic expression is about.

We can investigate this energy and connectedness from a spiritual perspective, and use the concepts and methods of spiritual discernment to structure this exploration.

The Power of Words ... and Images

John Paul Caponigro just posted this link to a brief YouTube video on his blog.

The video is about written expression, but it implies a powerful statement about photographic images as well.

I'm a big fan of JPC, and check his postings daily. He is unabashedly contemplative, compassionate, and in-the-moment.  And his photographic images resonate with expressiveness of emotion.

Witnessing, and being in Relationship

I attended a presentation by Kael Alford at the Atlanta Photograph Group gallery in Atlanta last night. Kael is a freelance photojournalist, a former Nieman Fellow at Harvard, and a teacher.  When she speaks, her compassion accompanies her.  It is clear she makes deep connections with people and and places. This is what she brings to her craft.  Her images are informed by her humanity.

Follow the link to her pictures, and linger with her for a while.

Photography as a Calling?

Sometimes, when people talk about what they do, it sounds like they're talking about a "calling."  To me, that's about being a part of something that's bigger than a job.

Listen to an interview with one of my favorite spiritually connected photographers, David duChemin. It's a recent post on Fast Track Photographer.

Being in the Present

In his brief blog post of April 10, 2011, David DuChemin alludes to being in the present moment as a photographer.

Witnessing

Joel Meyerowitz talks about expansiveness, calling, and witnessings in his life as a photographic artist. Click here to see the video.