Photography and Spirituality: How to Discover The Awesome Feeling Of Being In The Now
Trees amongst the stone and glass of the Shell building in Melbourne.
Photography allows us to document our lives and the world around us in a very personal way. Our photos reflect our unique perception of the world around us, and allow us to explore the nature of photography and of spirituality, and the connection between the two.
Photography and spirituality are very much connected. Photography is the vehicle by which the artist photographer can transcend the objects (i.e., visual elements within the composition) photographed and connect with the divine existing on the edge of our understanding.
It might be that the purpose of our existence is the search for meaning. But I wonder if we might best find meaning in our lives through a greater sense of connection.
God is a Concept that Can’t be Defined
I believe that God is a name and a concept given in an attempt to define that which is undefinable. And through the need for definition belief structures have been formed and rules established to uphold and live in accord with those beliefs.
Religious Dogma versus Spiritual Connection
While I’m bothered by the loss of ritual and the deeper understanding of myth in our modern world, I’m also worried about the splintering of different religious groups, some of which seem to be all about the notion of wealth creation and the accumulation of power.
Religion that seeks to dominate seems, to me, to be in direct opposition to its original purpose. But then I’m reminded that religions are created by men.
If only folks understood where words written in holy books actually came from.
Photography Connects Us with the Sublime
Spirituality provides a break away from structured man made religion. The practice and appreciation of art is, for many, a way to connect with the divine without the need for rules, dogma and formal methods of worship.
The god of the old testament was the god of the way, not the god of the city state. Perhaps this is why indigenous people, many of whom still have a strong connection to the land, often lead a more spiritual life.
Of the various genres of photography, I find that it’s landscape photography that helps me best bridge the gap between what I know and that which I seek. But that’s not to say that I don’t find solace and connection in the faces of those, young and old alike, that I photograph.
In fact whether it be wood or metal, skin or stone, it is the transforming and transitory nature of light that provides the luminance (i.e., the intrinsic brightness of a celestial object) that lights the road ahead and provides me with all the courage I need to continue my journey in search of the sublime.
This process is at the heart of my own journey through life and is central to living a purpose driven and meaning rich life.
