The Art of Minimalism: Black and White Photography
Class - Photography | Available
In this class we will create contemplative black and white images that evoke a sense of intimacy and emotion. Participants will learn to skillfully blend stark simplicity with profound depth.
By removing color, students will create images that allow the viewer to engage with the essential elements of composition, texture, pattern, space, and light, creating images that resonate with a meditative quality.
This class will also include a photowalk through downtown Winston-Salem. Photowalks can provide a source of inspiration and be a time of learning new techniques and sharing your own knowledge and ideas with class participants.
This class is great for photographers, artists at heart, or the curious wanting to explore the symbiotic relationship between contemplative practice and photography. You can use whatever camera that is available to you, including your cell phone.
Timothy Auman
I am an ordained lay Buddhist, certified mindfulness teacher, and former university chaplain dedicated to the application of Taoist and Zen thought to the issues of everyday life. As a visual artist, my approach to photography focuses on learning (or perhaps we could say re-learning) how to see. My work is influenced by the Miksang (the Tibetan word for “good eye”) movement, having studied with John McQuade and Miriam Hall for many years. In contemplative photography, we focus on taking the time to actually see, to become aware of and present with what is actually happening in the phenomenal world, and then create an equivalent image with our camera. The main difference between Miksang Contemplative Photography and other forms of photography is that Miksang is based on clear perception before an overlay of thoughts, interpretations, preferences, story lines, likes and dislikes, what we think might make a good image and so forth arise. Meditation, dharma teachings and contemplation are woven into all I teach. If you want to know more about contemplative photography, please sign up for a class.