Into Subtle Beauty

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Embrace Subtle Beauty

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If we are paying attention, our personal stories have the possibility of influencing our photographic style.

Point-and-shoot was my basic strategy for making images the first many years of my photography practice - even after going to school for photography, knowing all the rules, and possessing the technical skills. Don't get me wrong, there are benefits to making snapshots and I still make them 21 years post-graduation. Practice is vital for refining your art, but continual refinement and clear intentions is what differentiates snapshots from art. 

It wasn't until I had life experience, a refined perspective on beauty, and something I felt I needed to say that I finally began to use my camera settings and the rules of composition in an intentional way. In other words, I may have known what I was doing, but I didn't know why or what I was trying to say.  

Recently, I was reflecting on whether or not my imagers were communicating my intentions when artist & poet Gabriele Glang gifted me with this compliment, "Imperfection, wabi-sabi, haiku - I'm thinking your images are beautiful because they are spare, focused, elegant, concise. In fact, they are poems, to my mind."

Wabi-sabi and haiku are Japanese artistic concepts, and my photographic style was informed by a life-changing experience in Japan. Feeling seen in this way inspired me to share a few ideas about how I create photographic poems. 

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​Before I share my ideas, let's take a moment to breathe in this elegant painting by Gabriele from her "Pond" series, where she returned to the same pond over and over, sensing its subtle beauty through the seasons. Visit Gabriele's poetic pond paintings here. 

Golden Pond | Gabriele Glang

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Back in Japan, I learned about the design concept miegakure (hide and reveal) which gave me the seed for how I wanted to transform my photographic story.

​Miegakure is used to create awe-inspiring gardens that encourage visitors to slow down, to contemplate, to experience mystery and anticipation. 

​A similar approach is seen in Yamato-e style art, where clouds and mist are used to obscure parts of narratives told through large scroll or screen paintings. The idea behind this aesthetic style reminds the viewer that life is a mystery, that imagination is vital, and it suggests you'll never know the complete story.

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Miegakure was introduced to me at Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion), a Zen Buddhist temple in Kyoto, Japan.

​Enjoy a few of my favorite Japanese photographers:
Nyoro: See their work here. Follow them on Instagram here. 
Eiichiro: Watch their short film here. Follow them on Instagram here.  
akiyama: See their work here. Follow them on Instagram here. 
fujicco: Follow them on Twitter here. Follow them on Instagram here. 

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Experiencing the beauty of mystery in my own life, this aesthetic resonated with me - it even helped me reframe some of the most difficult events in my life. Over the years, I have been learning to be less concerned with controlling situations and demanding tidy answers to life circumstances, preferring to instead to revel in a slow unfolding of this human drama.

And with that intention for my life, I have been experimenting and slowly refining my artistic voice to express delight in our world's subtle, mysterious beauty. 

Here are a few ideas for adding subtle beauty to your images:    ​

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Try looking for hidden subjects. Often, I find my subject nestled within shrubs, rocks, leaves, etc. Use the "nest" to hide elements of your main subject. 

​For this image, I intentionally placed my jade rock (also from Japan) within my houseplant during a mindful photography event hosted by Tonya Peele on the meditation app, Insight Timer. 

Try breathing on the lens (put a UV filter on your lens to prevent damage) before making your image - the results are unpredictable, uncontrollable, and impermanent. And also soft and subtle.

​For a deeper perspective on the breath and why I believe subtle beauty is important to the culture of nature photography, read my article "Relational Nature Photography" on the Slow Photography Movement blog. 

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Try framing your main subject through foliage in the foreground, right up close to your lens. This gives a "painterly" effect.

I was able to do this much more intentionally after watching Kathleen Clemons' course "Creating Painterly Photographs" on Creative Live. 

Try simplifying your composition by getting clear about your subject and using your camera to support your intention.

​For ideas on how your camera can help you, read my blog "Into Simplicity". 

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We have all been directly confronted with life's mysteries as we live our way through a global pandemic. When you find yourself trying to control or rush to figure it all out, try taking a stroll through nature and turning your concerns over to her subtle beauty. 

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How will you bring subtle beauty to your images?