An invasion of privacy

Not everyone enjoys being in the spotlight.  Finding a peaceful spot away from the hassle of the modern world  –  somewhere to quietly reflect, meditate and generally sort things out  –  can help soothe the troubled mind.  But too often sounds, lights, schedules etc intrude.  As the poet William Wordsworth wrote, ‘The world is too much with us.’

The figure in the photograph is a small  sculpture of the Weeping Buddha. It is believed by some that the Weeping Buddha takes away the grief and troubles of the world. In return, he bestow peace and provides strength to those who rub his back.

Far from the madding crowd (2)

Far from the madding crowd

The chair (See also ‘Thinking Space’)

The title has been chosen with care.  It is not a chair, it is the chair.  It is the chair to which my wife believes me to be too deeply attached!  It is here that I sit and think, reflect, read, ponder, cogitate, write, create pictures, and generally wrestle with the ills of mankind.  This sanctuary of enlightenment is surrounded by a world of oblivion and outer darkness.  A less kind interpretation is that this is my bolt hole  –  a place of escapism!

Finding a quiet corner

A quiet moment

I savour being ‘far from the madding crowd’, and I enjoy beauty in all its forms but especially, perhaps, natural beauty.  It is not surprising, therefore, that I find something idyllic about the seashore on a still day.

 

Click each photo to enlarge

Just reflecting

It is extraordinary how therapeutic a short time by the sea can be.  The whirligig of everyday life is temporarily stilled.  The vastness of the sea, the soothing ripple of the waves, the plaintive calling of the gulls, the awareness of unaccustomed space combine to induce personal reflection and meditation.

The Chair

The title has been chosen with care.  It is not a chair, it is the chair.  It is the chair to which my wife believes me to be too deeply attached!  It is here that I sit and think, reflect, read, ponder, cogitate, write, create pictures, and generally wrestle with the ills of mankind.  This sanctuary of enlightenment is surrounded by a world of oblivion and outer darkness.  A less kind interpretation is that this is my bolt hole  –  a place of escapism!

Where shall I place him?

Where to crop and where to place the focal point are decisions crucial to the effectiveness of every photograph, and I readily confess that I am often disappointed with my own previous  choices.

In the case of the Weeping Buddha, below, I have chosen to place the figure towards the lower left corner.  Freed from background clutter and noise, I hope the space behind enhances the atmosphere of meditation, quiet and solitude.

Interestingly, if the figure is transferred to the lower right corner he seems to be facing the world rather than isolating himself  –  praying for a wider community.

Calm waters

Yesterday’s ‘Evening’ photo was taken in the Shetland Isles, the most northern part of the UK  –  so far north that in an atlas they usually appear in an inset box to indicate that they are further north than the scale of the page will allow.  Below are three more pictures from the Isles.  They capture an idyllic calm of water, rocks and sky.

Evening meditation

Evening meditation

The quiet moment

Quiet moment

See also Silence, please!