Excuse to be sloppy...

...or something to go for. Thanks to Nylonbleu, I discovered the concept of wabi-sabi, which I now want to introduce to my friends. According Leonard Koren it is "a Japanese aesthetic of things imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete".

I have now tried to figure out, how to implement that idea on my photography. I must say it is very difficult, or at least a great challenge to me.

It is claimed wabi-sabi on photography means things like choice of modest subjects, and accepting the imperfection caused by lousy camera (von Susan Brooks-Dammann). Wabi-sabi is also seen as an antithesis for the classical western aesthetics (Leonard Koren). Instead of shooting majestic views with high resolution good quality gear, one would photograph something ordinary instead. Shoot something we do not usually see as worth to capture. And tools we use would then of course be what most of us have these day: mobile phone cameras or pocket cameras. Cameras that are easy to carry with, and quick to use. This approach suggests the so called "point-and-shoot" and "lomography" are ideal ways to achieve this wabi-sabi.

But according to Leonard Koren, one should also try "eliminate all the unnecessary objects" and " focus more attention onto the objects that remained", or that at least was the goal in the end of so called Japanese "wabi era" tea ceremonies.

What puzzles me first and foremost is the choice of subject. If the goal is to get rid of all unnecessary, is it then something similar as "minimalism"? But how one can define what is unnecessary? If "wabi-sabi is a beauty at the edge of nothingness" (according to Leonard), then how many things there should be left? One object? One curve? One line? One dot?

I finally try to hang on to something I find personally attractive. Leonard also claims: " if you fall in love with someone or something — say a physically unattractive person, place, or thing — thereafter you will perceive this someone or something as beautiful." Now that is something I find useful. Based on that I can very well call almost anything dear to me as wabi-sabi.

I have earlier introduced to my friends an idea of "maximalism", which actually has been also an opposing art movement against minimalism. I could not find a good reference to cite on this, but what I mean with maximalism is something where "everything is shown as equal". All the things in the picture have their right to become seen as a point of focus, and no classical ideas in art used to draw the attention (e.g. golden ratio). This is of course task almost impossible, especially when composing with "rule of thirds" has become almost unintentional habit to me.

Anyway, my goal is to photograph something dear to me, and to do it in a way where I embrace everything in the scene.

I don't know if any of this make any sense to anyone else except me. Nevertheless, I see this approach as something that makes it easier for me to find a meaning into the chaotic every day life.

References:

Leonard Kore, "The Beauty of Wabi-Sabi": www.globalonenessproject.org/library/articles/beauty-wabi-sabi

Von Susan Brooks-Dammann, "Wabi-Sabi": kwerfeldein.de/2013/05/03/wabi-sabi

Update

Because Leonard Kore's article has become difficult to reach, I give a new source to read on topic:

David, "Demystifying Wabi-sabi": randomwire.com/wabi-sabi