Morning Coffee With Goethe

Life is in a constant state of flux and how I perceive situations is totally dependent on where I am in my own personal flux.

Johann Wolfgang Goethe, German poet and scientist, understood nature as an assemblage of parts all interrelated. Even the observer becomes an integral part of this assemblage. Seeing in Goethe mind becomes more than a passive act, but an active way to connect to your subject.

This past week I had the opportunity to spend some time at the beach. I happily took one photo after another. While reviewing, they mostly left me flat. They were good enough, but something was missing. I struggled with the composition and tonality, but nothing seemed to feel right. I put the images away and began to read a homework assignment about the Goethian perspective.  On page two there it was, I found what was missing: me. I didn’t take the time to connect to the beach, there was no conversation, I just clicked away.

As a photographer, I become as important as the subject I am capturing. Discovering the connections between me and my subject will reveal it even further. Applying a holistic approach to seeing will create a dynamic relationship with dynamic revelations.

​After sharing my morning coffee with Goethe I asked myself again, why am I making photographs? I discovered I am looking for the poetic moments in nature. I want more than a pretty picture, I want to capture a sense of poetry.

Spending time on my own personal exploration and how best I can be in conversation with the world I see, will result in my unique perspective being exposed. I have a responsibility to be in constant inquiry and to always be in relationship with my subjects, only then can I make images that have the ability to touch another.

​Live in color,
Abby