‘Look beneath your feet.’ ~ Zen Buddhist proverb

I have long been interested in Eastern philosophy, especially its idea of the ‘beauty of the blank space’. I love the Zen Buddhist question, ‘what is right before your eyes?’ Such deceptively simple curiosity cuts right to the essence of art, not least photography! I am drawn to mythical symbolism of the sun, trees and water expressed through a connection I feel, in particular, to the woodland areas of Dartmoor’s Teign Valley where I grew up. I aim for balanced and contrasting images (a sort of yin-yang effect), drawn to a phenomenological experience of enchantment alongside the Japanese concept of ‘ma’ (negative space) to explore absence among form as an integral part of the subject. I take a notepad with the intention of complementing each picture of various scenes, sketched through the written word while taking long walks laying the basis for a haiku, which sort of mirrors the technique of shooting an image in RAW before post-processing. Interestingly, I learned that the 5-7-5 syllable rule in haiku is less significant than the aim to create something vivid through saying as little possible. I started out writing in the standard pattern while considering various key elements (‘cutting words’ and references to nature, for example) before developing into minimal, implicit pieces to complement my images. I am also exploring this idea through silent, monochromatic films.

Bridford Wood

shadows cast over
leaves and twigs on woodland path –
the afternoon sun