PhotoPoetry: Observing the World in Image and Verse
Art + Wellness | Registration opens 5/13/2025 9:00 AM EDT
The power of photopoetry lies in its ability to stop us in our tracks, capturing moments that feed the soul. Each photograph is a stanza in the poem of life, a flash of perception that returns us to present moment awareness. The camera is not just a piece of technology; it's a painter's brush, a poet’s pen, a musician's instrument. Through it, photographers express their creative vision, turning the ordinary and mundane into extraordinary works of art.
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.
***This class will NOT meet on Thursday, July 31st.
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.