Questions that my supervisor asked me to answer by myself

 - How photography can relate to bigger issues? 





- Life flow, force of life, meditation (research on these)=

- life force = Life force is energy that some people believe exists in all living things and keeps them alive. (https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/life-force) 

Life force or lifeforce may refer to:

  • Spirit (vital essence), in folk belief, the vital principle or animating force within all living things
  • Vitality, ability to live or exist
  • Vitalism, the belief in the existence of vital energy
    • Energy (esotericism), a concept in spirituality and alternative medicine
      • Prana, the Sanskrit word for "life force" or "vital principle"
      • Qi, or chi, an active principle forming part of any living thing (translated as "natural energy", "life force", or "energy flow")
      • Élan vital (roughly translated as "vital impetus" or "vital force"), a philosophical term coined by Henri Bergson in 1907
  • Vijñāna (translated as "consciousness," "life force", "mind" or "discernment

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_force)


- life flow = Flow is the mental state of operation in which a person in an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and success in the process of the activity. But flow can also apply to your entire life, and when that happens, you've found your way. (https://www.corbettbarr.com/p/finding-your-lifes-flow)


- meditation = Meditation is an ancient practice that dates back thousands of years. Despite its age, this practice is common worldwide because it has benefits for brain health and overall well-being. With the help of modern technology, researchers continue to expand their understanding of how meditation helps people and why it works. 

Meditation is a practice that involves focusing or clearing your mind using a combination of mental and physical techniques.

Depending on the type of meditation you choose, you can meditate to relax, reduce anxiety and stress, and more. Some people even use meditation to help them improve their health, such as using it to help adapt to the challenges of quitting tobacco products.

(https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/17906-meditation)




- How can show/photograph Life flow, force of life, meditation in my photos?

- to photograph anything that lives, that is alive

- to photograph people, someone doing yoga, breathing exercises, meditation in silence or on beads, or with mantra

- to photograph someone relaxing or someone being stressed out

- to photograph smoking 

- to photograph a river, a stream, water running, water drops running on leaves




- What I am doing with her (photographing her doing her meditative/mindful practices during her morning routine), is it a meditation?

I think so, because I need to be focused and aware of what she's doing and to not miss anything that could be good to capture. Therefore, I need to be present! All is done in silence alone, in order to not be distracted or involved in anything else. 

Photographing Jiawei doing her meditative practices, could be like a relaxation as well for me that it is for her (because what she does is actually very relaxing and it is expressed on her serene face). It is a relaxation because I am not really doing any extraneous effort, I am just being aware of her movements and her actions as well as her body. I am kind of relaxed because I just go along as I photograph her when she does her practices and then moves to another practice like yoga. I just follow her as she does the things, but I do it with my camera and remain still and aloof as if I am not here and that she is alone by herself. I am in a state of observation in a very neutral way as I welcome what comes from her. This is also like a contemplation, where I can also commune with yourself and gather myself.




- Does taking photos of her doing her mindful practices, makes me a photographer? 

No because I do not take pictures of her only, I take pictures of other things as well like :

- my good friend who is 19 years older than me, when we hang out at a park, chatting. 

- landscapes

- people (my relatives, my distant cousins in France when I went there to spend my summer holidays) 

- graffiti

- buildings

- henna tattoos 

- self-portrait of myself (indoors at home)

- trees

- shadows 

- black and white photography

- vegetation like leaves

- windows 

- doors



- Time. What is my relationship with time? And duration? 

- Time =  the part of existence that is measured in minutes, days, years, etc., or this process considered as a whole (https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/time) 


  • Time is what we measure in minutes, hours, days, and years. 
  • You use time to ask or talk about a specific point in the day, which can be stated in hours and minutes and is shown on clocks.  
  • The time when something happens is the point in the day when it happens or is supposed to happen.

  • You use time to refer to the system of expressing time and counting hours that is used in a particular part of the world. 
  •  You use time to refer to the period that you spend doing something or when something has been happening. 

(https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/time)

 

- duration =  continuance in time ; the time during which something exists or lasts.

 

- my relationship with time =  

  • Intention means setting clear goals and priorities to guide our actions. = I have a short amount of time so I need to get as many pictures as I can and to get successful images at different angles and to use my photography skills during that amount of time in a successful way. 
  • Attention involves remaining present and focused on the task at hand, without getting lost in distractions or multitasking. =   when I take photos of my friend, Jiawei or of objects or places, I always make sure to focus on what I am doing rather than thinking. Thinking too much makes my attention drift away to another thing that is not even present right now during the shoot. I might get in this trap but I know that I have a short amount of time and that I need to remain present throughout the shoot until it is done, in order to not miss anything.

 



- Why am I taking pictures? What benefits? 

- to create beautiful visual content. I am attracted by beautiful photographs that are pleasing to the eyes.

- looking at a beautiful photographs softens my sight, it is nice to look at. I makes me want to create more photos/content like that. 

- I get to improve my photography skills and find my own photography style as a photographer, the more I explore different areas or types of photography, I feel I am on the way to find my own style and how I express myself as a photographer.



- Why are you a photographer? (why I am photographing people? why I am photographing her?)





- What do I photograph when I am not with my friend, Jiawei?

- my good friend who is 19 years older than me, when we hang out at a park, chatting. 

- landscapes

- people (my relatives, my distant cousins in France when I went there to spend my summer holidays) 

- graffiti

- buildings

- henna tattoos 

- self-portrait of myself (indoors at home)

- trees

- shadows 

- black and white photography

- vegetation like leaves

- windows 

- doors
















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