I took this shoot in my back garden one morning before going to school, as when I woke up the sunrise had created beautiful sunrise. So I thought that I would be able to use this sky in the background of some of the images. I feel that this shoot was successful as i did created some images that I really like. But as I was rushed for time as I was trying to leave for school on time, I didn’t have time to think and plan out some shots and I hadn’t really thought about what I had wanted to photograph previously . So I want to do another shoot in the same location, but to really take my time focusing on the small details that I could photograph.

Edits 

When editing these images I used Laura El- Tantawy for inspiration, as in her work there is an overriding theme of using pastel colours and having a fantasy/dream feel to them. I wanted my images to look obscure but still natural at the same time. For the editing of these photos the main technique that I used was double exposure as it is manipulating the images.

Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that examines the fundamental nature of reality, including the relationship between mind and matter, between substance and attribute, and between possibility and actuality. Metaphysics studies questions related to what it is for something to exist and what types of existence there are. Metaphysics seeks to answer, in an abstract and fully general manner, the questions:^[

1. What is there?
2. What is it like?

I feel like this study links to the ideas of Zen Buddhism and the works of Hiroshi Sugimoto in the way there is a sense of deeper thinking. Through my works I have set myself the aim to have underlying messages about what exists past our reality for example underneath the sea at high tide. Also connections to what we may not be able to see in our reality such as the changing light as it happens. This has clear links to the ideas around metaphysical which is intriguing to me.

Topics of metaphysical investigation include existence, objects and their properties, space and time, cause and effect and possibility.

There are two broad stances about what is “the world” studied by metaphysics. The strong, classical view assumes that the objects studied by metaphysics exist independently of any observer, so that the subject is the most fundamental of all sciences. The weak, modern view assumes that the objects studied by metaphysics exist inside the mind of an observer, so the subject becomes a form of introspection. Introspection is the examination of ones own conscious thoughts and feelings.

• Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy that studies the ultimate nature of existence, reality, and experience.
• Metaphysics includes all religions but transcends them all.
• Metaphysics is the study of ultimate cause in the Universe.
• Metaphysics is the only science capable of inquiring beyond physical and human science.

The Civil war stereography was also a key influence in my work as the 3D anaglyph effect has provided my work with colours that were not originally there.

The 3D effect that were on the original civil war photos were added in reference to the distances they wanted the different parts of the photos to look as if it were looking through the human eye, as if they were there.

The effect I wanted to create was merely to move parts of my images in to different parts of the photos to create an extra detail, but also so that they were visually interesting to look at, which is the same reason that the civil war stereographs were made as well.

An obvious difference between my work and the civil war stereographs, is the fact that my work is in colour and theirs is in black and white, although they used plate cameras, this created small spots of extra natural detail to the photos, unlike my photos in which I had to manually create them through the app I used to create my stereographs.

Feelings of terror, awe, infinity, and minuteness swirl and course through an experience of the sublime in nature, and for centuries, artists from Donatello to Bill Viola have attempted to recreate that experience in their paintings, sculptures, and video projections. Theorized as early as the 1^st century, the sublime has captivated writers, philosophers, and artists alike. Through its various definitions and interpretations, at its base, the sublime is a feeling rooted in humans’ relationships to the world, to nature, and what lies beyond that help us to formulate an understanding of ourselves.

The sublime has long been understood to mean a quality of greatness or grandeur that inspires awe and wonder. From the seventeenth century onwards the concept and the emotions it inspires have been a source of inspiration for artists and writers, particularly in relation to the natural landscape.

The theory of sublime art was put forward by Edmund Burke in A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful published in 1757. He defined the sublime as an artistic effect productive of the strongest emotion the mind is capable of feeling. He wrote ‘whatever is in any sort terrible or is conversant about terrible objects or operates in a manner analogous to terror, is a source of the sublime’.

Zen Buddhism is a mixture of Indian Mahayana Buddhism and Taoism. It began in China, spread to Korea and Japan, and became very popular in the West from the mid 20th century. The essence of Zen is attempting to understand the meaning of life directly, without being misled by logical thought or language. Zen techniques are compatible with other faiths and are often used, for example, by Christians seeking a mystical understanding of their faith. Zen requires an intense discipline which, when practiced properly, results in total spontaneity and ultimate freedom.

‘Zen’ is the way the Chinese word Ch’an is pronounced in Japan. ‘Ch’an’ is the Chinese pronunciation of the Sanskrit word Dhyana, which means meditation.

Christmas Humphreys, one of the leading pioneers in the history of Buddhism in Britain, stated that “Zen is a subject extremely easy to misunderstand.” Zen Buddhism is a practice that needs to be experienced, not a concept that you can intellectualize or understand with your brain. Zen does not depend on words – it has to be experienced in order to ‘understand’.

Zen sends us looking inside us for enlightenment. There’s no need to search outside ourselves for the answers; we can find the answers in the same place that we found the questions. The first step is to control our minds through meditation and other techniques that involve mind and body; to give up logical thinking.

Clues to the meaning of Zen (From BBC Website)

Because Zen is so hard to explain here are some quotations that may help you get an idea of it:

• The essence of Zen Buddhism is achieving enlightenment by seeing one’s original mind (or original nature) directly; without the intervention of the intellect.
• Zen is big on intuitive understanding, on just ‘getting it’, and not so hot on philosophising.
• Zen is concerned with what actually is rather than what we think or feel about what is.
• Zen is concerned with things as they are, without trying to interpret them.
• Zen points to something before thinking, before all your ideas.
• The key to Buddhahood in Zen is simply self-knowledge.
• To be a human being is to be a Buddha. Buddha nature is just another name for human nature – true human nature.
• Zen is simply to be completely alive.
• Zen is short for Zen Buddhism. It is sometimes called a religion and sometimes called a philosophy. Choose whichever term you prefer; it simply doesn’t matter.
• Zen is not a philosophy or a religion.
• Zen tries to free the mind from the slavery of words and the constriction of logic.
• Zen in its essence is the art of seeing into the nature of one’s own being, and it points the way from bondage to freedom.
• Zen is meditation.

My photographic Ideas from this

My initial ideas for the exploration of Zen Buddhism was as a result of a previous artist study i have completed on Hiroshi Sugimoto. He is a japanese artist where zen buddhism plays a significant role in his culture. Through his work there is this sense of spirituality, by seeing beauty in everything and the ideas of Zen Buddhism is also portrayed through his work. After having explored it more, i want to try and free the mind from the logical way of thinking about a landscape through my images. I want to try and convey a sense of beauty and importance in every aspect of what I am photographing. This links to the study of Monets Hay Stacks which show the importance of Hay Stacks in agriculture despite usually people being unconcerned with some Hay Stacks. Despite the absence of any real definition of Zen Buddhism i feel as if i can contribute to the explanation of it through my photographic responses that will have a focus on freedom, beauty and importance in everything that will help to relax and disconnect the mind from any logical thinking.

This is my third photo shoot I conducted to experiment working with mirrors. To complete this shoot I used a tripod to mount my camera on, I then used a model to hold mirror up in the landscape. I took a photo of the landscape before the model stepped into frame and then took a photo with them in the frame. I used the cutting tool to cut and the middle of the mirror so the layer was clear there. I then put the image of the plain landscape behind this image to create the affect that the frame was clear but it also hid whatever was behind it (Like an invisibility cloak.)

To get the landscape (behind the mirror) in the image to look exactly the same and unaltered I made sure it was the right size and positioned in the right place.

These are my best final outcomes from shooting and experimenting in this style. The images are in a surrealist style which is something I could further explore. (This also links to the idea of the sublime which I could also explore.) The weather on this day also helped to add to the idea of the sublime as it was very foggy with golden light from the sun creating a mysterious atmosphere.