Contemplative Vision: Photography as a Spiritual Practice

by Dirk deVries

Overview

• Your cell phone camera can be a window to wonder – and God • Includes practical guidance, reflection questions, activities, and examples • Can be used by youth or adult groups or for individual spiritual practice There’s more to life than selfies! With the advent of digital photography and the widespread use of camera-equipped smart phones, we have all become photographers. Can the same technology that makes the upload of selfies and endless posting to Instagram and Facebook also function as a tool for quiet contemplation, connection, and deeper meaning? Indeed yes: the practice of contemplative photography invites people of faith to set aside distractions of contemporary life to view the world through the eyes of the divine and uncover the extraordinary in the ordinary. Reflection questions, suggested activities, invitations to journal and create a volume of discovery, and original photographs taken by the author are accompanied by inspirational quotes and passages from scripture. Providing practical guidance for photography as a means of meditation and reflection and a form of prayer, readers will be encouraged to be seekers, open and present, ready to be refreshed, renewed, and delighted.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781640651357
Publisher:	Church Publishing Inc.
Publication date:	03/17/2019
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	NOOK Book
Pages:	160
Sales rank:	1,056,085
File size:	975 KB

About the Author

Dirk deVries is a former youth pastor, Christian education director, curriculum developer, writer, and editor. He leads workshops on a variety of topics involving spirituality and photography and has had his photos featured on numerous book covers, curricular resources, and calendars. He sells his artwork through www.PhotosByDirk.com, and is the author of the blog The 60-Second Sabbath. He and his husband Tim live in Denver, Colorado.

Table of Contents

Part 1 Cultivating Contemplative Vision 1

1 A New Role for Photography 2

2 A Spirituality of Shutting Up (Stillness and Silence) 8

3 Welcome to the Now (Presence and Mindfulness) 14

4 Contemplative Intention (Emptiness and Receptivity) 20

5 Seeing Again for the Very First Time (Attention and Observation) 26

6 Honoring Your Perception (Your Experience Is Your Experience) 32

7 No Such Thing as Commonplace (Nothing Is Exempt) 37

Part 2 The Practice of Contemplative Photography 45

8 The Basic Tools 46

9 A Basic Approach 57

Part 3 A Dozen Invitations 63

10 Photography without the Camera 64

11 Single-Element Study 68

12 Single-Subject Study 77

13 Single-Location Study 81

14 Close-Ups and Macros 85

15 Visual Metaphors 90

16 Telling a Story 95

17 Self-Portrait 100

18 Visio Divina 105

19 Reflection and Refraction 109

20 Black and White 116

21 Abstraction 122

Conclusion: On Being and Seeing 129

Part 4 Resources 133