February 24, 2016. Earlier this month I spent a morning with the Austin Jung Society – a mindful photography experience of a new sort. Rather than the familiar “center first, then take a single photo”, we were sent out to “take 50 steps and 50 photos”. I seldom can make myself stop with a single photo when called by an image, but indulging in FIFTY shots? Like a sugar rush!
The initially overcast sky gave way to clear sunshine, the lighting change ramping up the variety of imagery significantly. I chose to wander an alley in search of my subject and half way down the block … there she was, just waiting for me. I say “she” – our true mission in this workshop was not photography so much as letting the camera assist in communicating with a non-human presence.
The poem trio reflects the writing exercises interspersed with photo excursions. First, we wrote about encountering our “other”; then a love letter to our “other”; then the perceived response from our “other”. Collectively, the Jungian term for this process is Dialogue.
The image is a collage – a handful of the many photos. Enjoy!
stepsandpauses 