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Thread: EXPRESSING CREATIVITY: Media Arts - photography, videography, photo collage, etc.

  1. #1

    EXPRESSING CREATIVITY: Media Arts - photography, videography, photo collage, etc.

    A picture is a secret about a secret, the more it tells you the less you know. Diane Arbus

    Look and think before opening the shutter. The heart and mind are the true lens of the camera. Yousuf Karsh

    You don’t make a photograph just with a camera. You bring to the act of photography all the pictures you have seen, the books you have read, the music you have heard, the people you have loved. Ansel Adams

    And from our old friend: Creativity is our birthright. It is an integral part of being human, as basic as walking, talking and thinking. John Daido Loori

    Then there is this comment on photography by Baudelaire in 1859: It is useless and tedious to represent what exits because nothing that exists satisfies me…I prefer the monsters of my fantasy to what is positively trivial.



    This Baudelaire statement had a huge influence on poets and artists for decades after his death. It occurs to me that it may be the beginning of the philosophical discussion about photography not being an art form. But in my mind, this is a ‘trivial’ discussion! It is like the useless discussion art v. craft. Any thoughts on this?

    Photography is. And it seems now everyone is a photographer. Our cell phones have very fine cameras and because we can take unlimited pictures, not wait for the dark room processing, we all can find at least one in a dozen images that are exceptional. We have amazing images everywhere to show for this digital revolution. There are many very fine photographers here at Treeleaf. I’ve seen your images and many of them on the art circle posts as well as on Instagram. I suspect many videographers are here as well. Please, now is your time again to share your talents.

    Just some examples...here’s a friend’s website, Holly is well known for her work painting photo images: https://hollyrobertsstudio.com/ Another from a friend who takes extraordinary pictures: http://maryzaremba.net/botanicals%202.html

    Please post your photos, videos, photo art projects. With the shutdown many artists have found time to focus (pun intended) on their art making. Maybe you have used this strange, scary, unique time to make art using your cameras.

    Kirk has a Zen photography thread going on the art circle forum. Check that out here… https://www.treeleaf.org/forums/show...en-photography

    Photo arts offer so many directions and ways to express our creativity.

    Please share.

    Meitou's prompt. She is a wonderful photographer; I defer to her to be the expert.


    Hello everyone, and welcome to this latest in the series Expressing Creativity.

    After Anne's wonderful post, a prompt is hardly needed, so I shall keep it simple and suggest that you only follow this prompt if you are stuck for ideas on how to express yourselves via photography. I personally believe we all bring something creative to the camera lens, even if we aren't conscious of doing so, just through the process of looking, seeing and pressing the button.

    What I would like to suggest is that you consider and reflect on the first three quotes above, and using JDL's statement in the fourth quote, explore those ideas with your camera, whether it's a digital camera or a phone, makes no difference here. This prompt is about creativity; feel free to work with your photos using whatever means you like, filters, layers, image distortions etc. You might like to set boundaries, you might like to capture whatever appears and appeals, you might prefer black and white, you might not – that's fine, it's all good!
    Trust your instincts, stay authentic, don't compare your work with that of other people and/or feel intimidated, don't worry about 'rules', anything goes here.

    Experiment, and above all, have fun.


    Gassho
    Anne and Meitou

    we both sat today

  2. #2
    Lion portrait.

    Gassho, Jishin, __/stlah\__

  3. #3
    Just a fly.



    Gassho, Jishin, __/stlah\__

  4. #4
    Another fly.




    Gassho, Jishin, __/stlah\__
    Last edited by Jishin; 08-03-2020 at 07:10 PM.

  5. #5
    Man with a white beard.



    Gassho, Jishin, __/stlah\__

  6. #6
    And another big cat.



    Gassho, Jishin, __/stlah\__

  7. #7
    I have to wonder if the male lion dyed his mane . The touched up selfie is awesome and the Lioness looks very wise. Great photos as always.
    gassho, Shokai
    合掌,生開
    gassho, Shokai

    仁道 生開 / Jindo Shokai

    "Open to life in a benevolent way"

    https://sarushinzendo.wordpress.com/

  8. #8
    Thank you!

    Gassho, Jishin, __/stlah\__

  9. #9
    Alright! Jishin's Zoo...
    Amazing images as always Jishin...starting with the punk lion~
    Thanks for sharing.

    bows
    Anne

    ~lahst~

  10. #10
    Thank you Anne!

    It's been hard to go anywhere to get pictures because of the current situation so I am having to go back and try to find images I did not like at first. This one for example:

    It was ok, nothing special about it, an even number of subjects making the image less interesting. It forced me to think about how I could use it and this is what it came out to be. A one and one half bird.

    Gassho, Jishin, __/stlah\__
    Last edited by Jishin; 08-03-2020 at 10:46 PM.

  11. #11
    A scene from Da Lat, Vietnam.

    Gassho
    Kyōshin
    Satlah

    Sent from my moto g(7) power using Tapatalk

  12. #12
    Very nice Kyoshin.

    Gassho, Jishin, __/stlah\__

  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by Jishin View Post
    Very nice Kyoshin.

    Gassho, Jishin, __/stlah\__
    Thanks. It's funny you didn't like the one and half birds at first. It's my favorite of what you've posted here.

    Gassho
    Kyōshin
    Satlah

    Sent from my moto g(7) power using Tapatalk

  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by Kyoshin View Post
    Thanks. It's funny you didn't like the one and half birds at first. It's my favorite of what you've posted here.

    Gassho
    Kyōshin
    Satlah

    Sent from my moto g(7) power using Tapatalk
    Thank you Kyoshin. This is what the picture looked like initially:

    And after:


    I like it better after editing it.

    Gassho, Jishin, __/stlah\__
    Last edited by Jishin; 08-03-2020 at 11:22 PM.

  15. #15
    San Antonio river walk

    Gassho, Jishin, __/stlah\__

  16. #16
    Waterfall.


    Gassho, Jishin, __/stlah\__

  17. #17
    Nice Jishin and Kyoshin!
    Wow, Texas and Viet Nam...
    I agree with Kyoshin. I love that bird image.

    bows
    Anne

    ~lahst~

  18. #18
    Sunrise West Texas this AM.



    Gassho, Jishin, __/stlah\__

  19. #19
    Quote Originally Posted by Jishin View Post
    Sunrise West Texas this AM.



    Gassho, Jishin, __/stlah\__
    Whereabouts in West Texas?

    Gassho
    Kyōshin
    Satlah

    Sent from my moto g(7) power using Tapatalk

  20. #20
    This is the view from my back yard near Lubbock. I am not a cotton farmer but that is what they farm around here. West Texas is very flat and there is not much vegetation because of the heat (desert like) but the sunsets and sunrises are beautiful.

    The picture was taken with a Samsung Ultra smart phone at 30x mag with minimal editing.

    Gassho, Jishin, __/stlah\__

  21. #21
    Quote Originally Posted by Jishin View Post
    This is the view from my back yard near Lubbock. I am not a cotton farmer but that is what they farm around here. West Texas is very flat and there is not much vegetation because of the heat (desert like) but the sunsets and sunrises are beautiful.

    The picture was taken with a Samsung Ultra smart phone at 30x mag with minimal editing.

    Gassho, Jishin, __/stlah\__
    I'm very familiar with the heat and flatness of West Texas. I grew up in Midland, and have even been to Lubbock once or twice. If you add petroleum fumes to the dust in the air it makes sunsets even better.

    Gassho
    Kyōshin
    Satlah

    Sent from my moto g(7) power using Tapatalk

  22. #22
    Quote Originally Posted by Kyoshin View Post
    I'm very familiar with the heat and flatness of West Texas. I grew up in Midland, and have even been to Lubbock once or twice. If you add petroleum fumes to the dust in the air it makes sunsets even better.

    Gassho
    Kyōshin
    Satlah

    Sent from my moto g(7) power using Tapatalk
    Wow, grew up in Midland and now in Vietnam? How did that happen?

    Someone told me that unemployment in Midland/Odessa is close to 50% due to the oil crash but I don't believe its that high. Had to be careful about lighting a match in Midland/Odessa due to the oil boom prior to the crash.

    Gassho, Jishin, ST

  23. #23
    HI Guys,
    I grew up in Houston, but know those dusty plains of west texas well. (Almost got in a road accident in a dust storm outside Lubbock a few years ago.)
    And Jishin, that sunrise image is amazing.
    From Midland to Vietnam! I bet there's a good story there, Kyoshin.

    bows
    Anne

    ~lahst~

  24. #24
    The story is not so exciting. My wife applied for teaching jobs overseas and got hired. She was nice enough to let me come with her.

    Gassho
    Kyōshin
    Satlah

    Sent from my moto g(7) power using Tapatalk

  25. #25

    EXPRESSING CREATIVITY: Media Arts - photography, videography, photo collage, etc.

    This is a good friend of mine who was kind enough to allow me to make a portrait photo on IPhone. I did some editing in Lightroom. He is Buddhist and in his former life he was an attorney.



    Gassho, Jishin, __/stlah\__
    Last edited by Jishin; 08-08-2020 at 01:20 AM.

  26. #26
    Quote Originally Posted by Kyoshin View Post
    The story is not so exciting. My wife applied for teaching jobs overseas and got hired. She was nice enough to let me come with her.

    Gassho
    Kyōshin
    Satlah

    Sent from my moto g(7) power using Tapatalk
    Nice wife.

    Gassho, Jishin, __/stlah\__

  27. #27
    A picture is a secret about a secret, the more it tells you the less you know. Diane Arbus
    These are some snaps I made during our lockdown; unlike many countries our government put our safety first and imposed strict rules - no going out for 'exercise', only for absolute necessities, no mingling with others, masks to be worn while out, a physical distance of one metre from others at all times. Only essential shops stayed open and these rigourously adhered and enforced the rules, for all our sakes. Instead of causing division, this knowledge that we were all in the same boat united us a country in the most beautiful ways. Ingenious solutions were found for going to church, for meeting up with friends, for entertaining others.
    These snapshots were taken viewing the outside from inside, but what secrets do they hold, what story do they tell? Was I feeling frightened or safe, trapped or liberated, lonely and isolated or connected to others? What do they say to me now?

    sitting room lockdown best.jpg

    bedroom lockdown.jpg

    bathroom lockdown.jpg

    studio lockdown.jpg

    view lockdown.jpg

    Gassho
    Meitou
    sattoday lah
    命 Mei - life
    島 Tou - island

  28. #28
    Love the images Meitou. Don't know how to put what I like about them into words.

    Gassho, Jishin, __/stlah\__

  29. #29
    Jishin! Your friend...no words, only this ...what a shockingly beautiful face!

    Meitou, thank you for posting those remarkable covid19 lockdown images. I had seen them on instagram and hoped you'd put them up here for the sangha to enjoy.
    There is a quiet ambiguity, almost a mysterious longing that they express: the melancholy of aloneness, silence even expressed in the subdued light. Really exactly reflecting Diane Arbus' quote. Wonderful images

    Anyone else willing to post images from this unique time?

    Gassho
    Anne

    ~lahst~

  30. #30
    Quote Originally Posted by Jishin View Post
    Love the images Meitou. Don't know how to put what I like about them into words.

    Gassho, Jishin, __/stlah\__
    Thank you Anne!
    Jishin thank you. There's no need for words and that's a beautiful thing, the feeling of connection beyond anything that can be said. Your work is always fine, but I think with this portrait and the recent ones of your sons, you've excelled.
    Thank you everyone for what you are posting, Vietnam, Texas, Sardinia, deserts, mountains and seas, quiet rooms and hidden spaces - all worlds different and the same, connected mysteriously under the same knowing sky.
    Gassho
    Meitou
    Sattoday lah
    命 Mei - life
    島 Tou - island

  31. #31

  32. #32
    A foggy afternoon.
    @Judy Juan, 2020 S .jpg

    Gassho,
    Judy Juan

  33. #33
    Great shot Juan!

    Gassho, Jishin, __/stlah\__

  34. #34
    Thanks. My oil painting.


    Gassho,
    Judy

  35. #35
    Quote Originally Posted by MJG27 View Post
    A foggy afternoon.
    @Judy Juan, 2020 S .jpg

    Gassho,
    Judy Juan
    Judy, that's so beautiful ; intense and poetic. Thank you.
    Gassho
    Meitou
    Sattoday lah
    命 Mei - life
    島 Tou - island

  36. #36
    Judy, it looks like a painting. Mysterious. Just beautiful.

    bows.
    Anne

    ~lahst~

  37. #37
    Thank you with all my heart.


    Gassho

    Judy

  38. #38
    Treeleaf Priest / Engineer Sekishi's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
    Location
    Virginia, USA
    The past year I’ve been taking lots of photos that look across the valley from our home towards Paris Mountain. So many are essentially the same framing but the clouds and mountain are always walking and changing.

    Thunderstorm last night:



    Storm through an infrared filter:



    Clouds in the valley:



    Morning clouds:



    Gassho,
    Sekishi
    #sat


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
    Sekishi | 石志 | He/him | Better with a grain of salt, but best ignored entirely.

  39. #39
    Treeleaf Priest / Engineer Sekishi's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
    Location
    Virginia, USA
    Quote Originally Posted by Sekishi View Post
    The past year I’ve been taking lots of photos that look across the valley from our home towards Paris Mountain. So many are essentially the same framing but the clouds and mountain are always walking and changing.
    Here is a timelapse from earlier this month.



    And one from last year:



    When we shift timescales, it is easier to see dharmas as interlinked processes.

    Gassho,
    Sekishi
    #sat
    Last edited by Sekishi; 08-09-2020 at 08:44 PM. Reason: Added second video.
    Sekishi | 石志 | He/him | Better with a grain of salt, but best ignored entirely.

  40. #40
    Great shots Sekishi! My favorite is the black and white one.

    Gassho, Jishin, __/stlah\__

  41. #41
    Aware of Iron Zazen

    6D716259-11FF-452B-A9B3-932B70F46FFD.jpeg

    Doshin
    St not far from Iron Zazen

  42. #42
    Awesome photo Doshin!

    Gassho, Jishin, __/stlah\__

  43. #43
    Sekishi, I love your photos. And the time lapse cloud/Paris mountain, so evocative of the moist, softness of your place in the world. Living in the arid southwest, which certainly has its great beauty, I do miss lush!

    And Doshin, Jishin's right, that is an awesome image! Thank you both for sharing.

    Gassho
    Anne

    ~lahst~

  44. #44
    Wonderful pictures, everyone.
    Personally, I found the portrait of Jishin's friend and Meitou's pictures especially touching.


    Running through the fields at 6am during the current heatwave:

    running1.jpg

    running2.jpg

    Gassho,
    Kotei sat/lah today.

    義道 冴庭 / Gidō Kotei.
    Being a novice priest doesn't mean my writing about the Dharma is more substantial than yours. Actually, it might well be the other way round.

  45. #45
    Awesome pictures a Kotei. My favorite is the first one.

    Gassho, Jishin, __/stlah\__
    Last edited by Jishin; 08-10-2020 at 06:32 PM.

  46. #46
    Scary vulture.



    Gassho, Jishin, __/stlah\__

  47. #47
    Blue bird.



    Gassho, Jishin, __/stlah\__

  48. #48
    Treeleaf Unsui Shugen's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Redding California USA


    Looking north, Trinidad California

    A little self care trip

    Gassho,

    Shugen


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    Meido Shugen
    明道 修眼

  49. #49
    Quote Originally Posted by Shugen View Post


    Looking north, Trinidad California

    A little self care trip


    Gassho,

    Shugen


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

    Makes me homesick for the North Coast

    Doshin

  50. #50
    All fun to see the world through your eyes

    Doshin

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