Philosophy behind the viewfinder

 Yesterday was quite a bright, warmish day so I went out for a short while armed with a old school film single lens reflex camera and a Cosina 20mm ultra wide angle lens photographing trees with a roll of ISO 100 colour print film.

Yes really in 2026 with digital everything coming out of our ears I left all of that behind.

That in a rambling kind of a way was really what I was getting at last week and there's some back issue of photo magazines I've been looking from some thirty and thirty five years ago I was looking at.

Doing that yesterday really brought very much into focus what some called and there was actually a book called Zen and the Art of Photography inspired by Pirsigs book on Motorcycle Maintenance which were were encourage to read in General Studies way back when I was in what Brits call "The Sixth Form".

Put basically Zen and the art of photography is the practice of combining the mindful, present-moment awareness of Zen Buddhism with the creative act of seeing and capturing images.

Core Principles

Shoshin (Beginner's Mind): Approaching every scene without preconceptions, expectations, or ego, just like a child seeing things for the first time.

The Empty Mind: Letting go of over-analytical thoughts about gear or settings so that intuition takes over.

Becoming One with the Subject: Dissolving the separation between the photographer (the archer), the camera (the bow), and the scene (the target).

Simplicity and Essence: Focusing on minimalism, natural light, and the raw spirit of a moment rather than a literal, crowded recording of reality.

Key Practices

The Decisive Moment: Waiting in stillness for the precise fraction of a second when action, light, and emotion align harmoniously.

Daily Seeing: Treating the camera—or a smartphone—as a visual journal to practice deep attention rather than just collecting snapshots.

Letting the Photo Take You: Allowing the subject to move you deeply, treating the shutter release as an act of gratitude toward life.

Much of that came flooding back to me cos sometimes we get so wrapped up in the technical side  even if as well exposed picture is a basic, we lose track of the actual image we're trying to capture or with some disciplines like still lifes, create.

When you are devoid of any automation the connection between you and the camera is total: It's your reflexes, your skills that determine the outcome.

And we learn from that.