Celebrated photographer John Einarsen has a new book out, entitled This Very Moment. Below he describes the process by which the striking images are created. This week not only sees the 104th edition of the Kyoto Journal which he manages, but the opening of ‘Perception beyond Borders’, an exhibition of his photographs at Kunjyunkan gallery from 4/20-5/21.

*****************

For as long as I can remember, I have been spellbound by the visual brilliance
of our world, and always had the desire to share what I saw with others.

The kind of seeing I now practice is very deliberate. It works through a spaciousness of mind—a quiet, non-seeking openness. This state occurs naturally in the gaps that punctuate our streams of thought. Within this gap-mind we’re relaxed; our awareness is not focused on anything in particular, but we remain alert and in a receptive state. Present in the moment.

Recognizing and cultivating this spaciousness enables us to engage with our visual world more fully and directly without preconceived notions. It is always there and available. Yet it is hard to sustain. Our minds are easily distracted by a million different things. In addition, we have to work to dissolve all the ways we have been taught to see. We live in a described and categorized world, and most of the time that shorthand is what we experience. It’s a shame that we miss so much. When we stop trying to manage our experience and let go, the world comes to us in all its richness.

With spaciousness, a fresh perception can drop into our laps out of nowhere, anytime. It is delightfully disorienting. It fills our awareness as we concentrate to understand it. There is a feeling of elation and affirmation. We are fully connecting to what we see.

A genuine perception is pure—an unasked-for offering from the universe. For me,
it is meant to be honored, expressed with fidelity, and then shared with others.

The link for This Very Moment can be found at:  https://www.kyotojournal.org/product/this-very-moment/. For his work as a teacher of Miksang contemplative photography see here.