Contemplative Photographer Series –

Minor White
In his classic book, The Zen of Creativity,
photographer, writer, and Zen master John Daido
Loori describes the first time he saw his
workshop leader, photographer Minor White:
“He was a striking figure, well over six feet
tall, with a flowing mane of white hair. He
moved quietly, gracefully, and when he
entered a space, he filled it completely.”
An American photographer, White (1908-1976)
was influenced by the great photographers of his
time – Edward Weston, Ansel Adams and Alfred
Stieglitz. He, in turn, was a teacher and mentor to many, including Loori, as
well as a co-founder of Aperture Magazine, still going strong.
Here are three examples of  White’s
contributions to contemplative photography.
 
1. Image as Metaphor
White continued the exploration of Stieglitz’s concept of equivalence.
“While we cannot describe its appearance (the equivalent), we can
define its function. When a photograph functions as an Equivalent
we can say that at that moment, and for that person the photograph
acts as a symbol or plays the role of a metaphor for something that
is beyond the subject photographed.” ~ John Paul Caponigro
According to White, there are levels of equivalence. The first occurs when
something in an image corresponds emotionally with something in the
viewer. The second level has to do with what comes up in the viewer’s mind
as a result of this correspondence. The third level is the mental image the
viewer retains after no longer seeing the photograph.
Through the image, the photographer or the viewer relates to the image in a
way that reflects something in his or her own experience. This is very
different from the Miksang approach to contemplative photography, which
stays with the original perception of reality, without any interpretation.
2. Found Photographs
In his essay, Found Photographs, White describes what happened when a
porcelain bowl shattered on the floor  and led to the seeing of images that
would not have been without that accident.
 “As one porcelain bowl died a thousand thoughts were born; a
score of unexplained photographs were seen to be, not accident,
but photographs that found themselves. By my discipline of seeing I
put myself where photographs can find themselves.”
I often find images that I call “accidental art” – the way blossoms fall on a
sidewalk or the way rain obscures the view in a window or reflections in the
side of a car.
White taught how to go beyond seeing images (as
an observer) to experiencing them in every sense.
 
3. Preparing the Mind
White was no ordinary teacher.
His instructions reflect the
mindset of a contemplative
photographer.
 Venture into the landscape
without expectations.
 Let your subject find you.
 When you approach it, you will
feel resonance, a sense of
recognition.
 If, when you move away the
resonance fades, or if it gets
stronger as you approach, you’ll
know you’ve found your subject.
 Sit with your subject and wait for
your presence to be
acknowledged.
 Don’t try to make a photograph,
but let your intuition indicate the
right moment to release the shutter.
 If, after you’ve made an exposure, you feel a sense of completion, bow and
let go of the subject and your connection to it.
 Otherwise, continue photographing until you feel the process is complete.