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Photographic composition has honed my life skills. In seeing an object, a scene, a setting, an encounter visually clearly, one must release the peripheral. The subject matter clearly has meaning and depth; there exists a story and many factors go into making said story. I am merely pointing out a way of seeing which became for me a lesson in being. One should focus on what will fill the entirety of the viewfinder. See it unaffected by what is at that moment ancillary to its lines. Lose the visual noise. Notice the shape, color, movement, and the lighting which bring it into view.
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Then take two more steps.
Disconnect from your knowledge of its function; forget its purpose. Then erase its name. See it. See its existence. A composition fills the frame; the composition reigns as the superfluous departs.
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Your mind’s eye will see with clarity what is actually right in front of you. Your mind will see the simplicity which exists without notice of outside noise and chaos. Within that focal point, there may be chaos, but focus on it solely. Be here, not there.
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In life the focus should be on the now. The specifics of that moment are to be experienced when they occur, and given a full and proper embrace. They can be filed for recall and review at another time, just as can photographic digital files and the pictures in a box. The clean, unfettered by future and past, in your face present moment deserves your attention. The past and future are ancillary.
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The present is just that, a present, a gift. It is a breathing now moment. It is wrapped in time just as is the composed and focused image sealed in a technological time capsule, created within a camera. Clear the clutter, and focus on what is standing at your feet, via a lens and experienced during “on the stage” living. The action is on stage, not even on the front row. In this present moment, feel and see its lines, shape, color, and movement. See its fleeting composition.
~mary jane goodman
Mary Jane's Shoes 