During 2017 I had two successful exhibitions and gave a talk as part of "Rewired", an event at the Royal Geographical Society in London. I helped raise several thousand pounds for neurological charities and was featured in newspapers, a magazine and local radio. I also got divorced and lost a lot of money to solicitors.... Continue Reading →
Street photography and printing and framing photographs for more exhibitions have been filling my days recently. I'm happy to say that the Movement for Hope exhibition in London was a great success. By a strange twist of fate the comedian Russell Brand came to the private view and seemed genuinely interested in my work - see... Continue Reading →
From years back, when I was still wearing the soles of my shoes out on street photo walks, I've found the idea of anonymising people and merging them into the urban landscape intriguing. I have some sympathy with people who question whether it's right to take photos of people without asking first. As much as I think candid... Continue Reading →
If you contemplate the miracle we call sight, what we actually see is light reflecting off "stuff" that is received by the sensory organs of the eyes and processed by the brain for the mind to make sense of. So, in a way, our mind is a house of mirrors from which we create meaning, our "lives" and... Continue Reading →
Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned. - Buddha Just in case you hadn't noticed(!)...... there's been an election here in the UK. The Conservatives have a majority for the first time in 20 years and it seems they will be... Continue Reading →
Mindful Photos Sunday Reflection: Does the taking of certain types of photograph contradict Buddhist or Mindful ethics? Any introductory book on Buddhism would be likely to mention the Five Precepts. They're ethical guidelines designed to help us avoid harming, and to create conditions helpful to the arising of wisdom. At number two is "not taking that which is not given"... Continue Reading →
"A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal... Continue Reading →
Please take a look at the "about" page to see the circumstances that have encouraged me to start blogging again. Have you ever seen those car stickers that say "ONE LIFE - LIVE IT!"? They always seem to smack of desperation to me; as though beneath the surface someone is frantically kicking their legs around trying not to... Continue Reading →
Please take a look at the "about" page to see the circumstances that have encouraged me to start blogging again. There's a saying: "Instead of trying to coat the world with leather, get yourself a pair of shoes". It comes from the 8th century Indian Buddhist monk Śāntideva who said - “Where would I find enough leather To cover... Continue Reading →
Please take a look at the "about" page to see the circumstances that have encouraged me to start blogging again. Have you ever had that dream when you try to run but your legs won't move? Just after taking the "geometry" photographs that you can see in my previous post, I had that experience for real - One of... Continue Reading →
Please take a look at the "about" page to see the circumstances that have encouraged me to start blogging again. There's a very simple theory explaining how mindfulness reduces the suffering of physical and mental ailments - If we reduce as much as possible all of the "secondary suffering" that we pile on top of any health issues we have,... Continue Reading →
"There is no path to happiness, happiness is the path" ...is a phrase I heard Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh use when I was on retreat with his sangha. If you have not come across Thay (meaning teacher in his native Vietnamese, and the term affectionately used for him by his followers), then I suggest it's a very worthwhile Google search. His "engaged buddhism" suggests... Continue Reading →
Day one of any good Buddhism course would probably mention the five precepts: a list of guidelines to help us stay on the ethical straight and narrow. Second only to not killing is not taking that which is not given.....This poses a big dilemma for me as a "mindful" photographer. When we squeeze the shutter to capture an unmissable (aren't they always?) candid picture, are... Continue Reading →
I don't often get up before six, even on a work day. So it has to be something special that gets me up at 5.45 to catch a train on a days leave. Last Thursday there was something special to do. My leave was booked three months in advance so I could spend a day on retreat in Oxford, with American mindfulness teacher Sharon Salzberg. Sharon was one of the original... Continue Reading →
mindful photos 