The Philosophy of Photography: Moving Beyond the Mastery of Technique

The Philosophy of Photography: Moving Beyond the Mastery of Technique

Class - Photography | Registration opens 5/12/2026 9:00 AM EDT

251 N Spruce St. Winston-Salem, NC 27101 United States
Flex / Conference Room - 214
Beginner to Advanced
7/6/2026-8/3/2026
6:30 PM-8:00 PM EDT on Mon
$145.00
$130.50

The Philosophy of Photography: Moving Beyond the Mastery of Technique

Class - Photography | Registration opens 5/12/2026 9:00 AM EDT

This five-week course invites photographers of all levels to explore photography as more than a technical skill. Drawing on the Nalanda Miksang approach, we will consider how awareness, perception, and presence shape the images we make. You can master your camera and still miss the photograph. Here, the emphasis shifts from controlling the image to truly seeing what is before you.

 

Through a combination of in-class instruction and guided photographic explorations, both during and between sessions, students will practice recognizing moments of visual clarity in everyday life—color, light, texture, and space. This contemplative approach not only deepens one’s experience of photography, but also cultivates a capacity for intuitive image-making.

 

Open to beginners and experienced photographers alike, this course welcomes any camera, including smartphones. What matters most is a willingness to slow down, look closely, and engage photography as both a practice and a philosophy of seeing.

Auman, Timothy
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.