My friend Tuan Pham is at it again. Back by popular demand he is providing his class “Photography as Zen Art“ again at the National Arboretum throughout September and one running in October.
The National Arboretum only updates their website quarterly, so the class will not be posted there until September, but the link will work once they update it. Here is their write-up that should be posted soon:
Workshop: Photography as Zen Art
September 13, 20, 27 and October 11 (4 sessions)
9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Using the Arboretum collections as inspiration, enhance your photographic vision and produce more meaningful images with lessons from this four-session workshop. Built upon the common denominator of photography and Zen – wise attention – this program incorporates several Zen creative practices, including relaxed awareness, mindfulness of perception, seeing with one eye, and more. These techniques enable you to find beauty wherever you are, loosen the grip of preoccupations and attachments, and capture images that reflect your true nature. For more class details, call the instructor at 703-855-9888. Required: digital camera, tripod, and means of sending digital images. Registration required.
The last class filled up fast, if you or someone you know might be interested.
Tuan is a lifelong practitioner of Buddhist meditation and his creativity in photography exploded when he began to apply the concept of “wise attention” to his practice of photography. His story about how he discovered the beauty in his “photographs of nothing” is both entertaining and enlightening. Traveling all that distance to produce photographs that he could have created anywhere is an amusing reminder of the beauty that surrounds us every day.
Tuan’s photography is now not only technically sound, it is emotive. He has modified his perception so that he is not taking photographs of beautiful things, he is taking beautiful photographs of things. It seems like a subtle linguistic difference, but the difference in his work is substantial.
A student, who must have been in the class with me this last spring, wrote this testimonial after the class.
Don’t forget to register in advance! There are usually no seats available at the door.
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