New Morning X
On Photography & Self-Improvement
Every morning I go out into the open spaces. The fields | The cliffs | The beach | The nature reserve.
Every morning (almost) for three years now.
It is a decision I consciously made, and which stemmed from a deep-seated desire for change. The decision hung over me through a time in which I had dared to let go of my comfort zones. Let go of anchors that gave me much confidence and self-esteem, but which appeared to be no longer of service to my growth.
Like many (I guess), my life is full to the brim. So full, that the brim itself expands outwards and up in attempt to contain life’s richness in a way that will feel more comfortable. Even today after three years of this morning ritual, my four limbs are working, pushing, evolving, sometimes surviving, onwards and onwards.
My new morning ritual does not change the amount of work that needs to be done. Quite opposite, It bites into precious labor time. But when I get to it, I experience almost every day, joy and gratitude through my craft, whatever it may be.
In my new morning experience , time is the only defined measure, drawing borderlines in which there are no bounds.
The camera shares this space with me, each day differently, sometimes without even being turned on.
The camera as a visual tool accompanies me from a very young age. The most intimate partner I have for this journey is my father. I carried the camera throughout different periods of life and of technology, and perceived it differently at each point of the way.
As a child — I found joy and satisfaction by the its direct and immediate framed reward, with little to no consideration of the subject.
As a teenager — I explored my self-image, sexuality, intimacy and aesthetics, through the imagery, composition, qualities and the great significance I gave of myself relating to the subject.
As a soldier — a military photographer — I was goal oriented and learnt a challenging profession, both physically and mentally. I documented a range of places, times, events in the form of sudden call-ons and long voyages, some where tough and are well engraved in my memory.
As a designer — I used the camera as a working tool and to tell the stories of brands.
Today my excellent camera signifies to me a time for dreaming and wondering, mediating and helping me come closer to nature. It draws and protects the time-space in which I meet with uncontrolled life, and in fact its presence allows me to choose to see beauty and greet each day anew. Releasing the old and welcoming the new.
Along the years my new morning experiences produced by-products of few photo-series.
The first one is PhotemIsm | ImagineNature which is all about illusion. Playful and curious about the orders, textures, combinations, processes and endless diversity found in each and every grain of nature.
The symmetrical mirror-effect that characterizes living creatures, reveals and draws two-dimensional imaginary beings which contrast the multidimensionality of nature.
It flattens and reduces the multidimensionality of the natural world down to the point that personification emerges. The outcome triggers the imagination, offering multiple perspectives that echo points in time and cultures in which humans personify nature.
