Picture / photo receiving, instead of shooting or taking, an art of observing

Since about half a year I am member of Chiang Mai’s Photographic Group. A group of international people most living in Chiang Mai. Hobby and professional photographers meeting every other week to share their work and learn from each other. Every member having its own specialty like landscape, nature, wildlife, culture, portrait, you name it. Variety of insights and inspirations.

January 26^th – February 10^th this year our group had its yearly exhibition. This time at Central Plaza at Chiang Mai Airport. Happy our group members voted two of my pictures to be in the show. 

An ongoing stream of spectators visit the exhibition and being there two mornings/afternoons as a host it was nice to see how people took the time to discover and to be touched by the art of watching.

Doing photography as a hobby and more and more as a kind of meditation to practice the art of stopping, it was wonderful for me to see people stop and to experience, actually to receive, the pictures.

Isn't it actually strange many photographers talk about ‘taking a picture’ or ‘photo shooting’. As if photography is a kind of aggressive way of getting. When you take the time to be patient and open to receive what is showing to you, photography is really a joyful way of meditation.

The most wonderful thing, although many photographers do, is you do not have to visit all kind of places in the world to receive the best or most wonderful pictures. Photography, the art of stopping, waiting and watching what is showing to you, you can see as a contemplative activity.

If you change the idea or even habit of ‘taking’ and ‘shooting’ pictures in ‘receiving’ pictures, I am sure now, watching all our spectators in the exhibition, you touch people in a different and much deeper way.

Receiving a picture is making connection with the beauty and underlying meaning of what the world wants to show to you.

Gangey Gruma (Frans Captijn)

Captijn Insight. Catalyst in developing tranquility & in-sight to get in a sustainable way real connection, purpose, pleasure and flow in life, love, family, business, career and work again.

captijninsight@gmail.com