About

Photography as My Meditation and Contemplative Existence

Comparing my photographic adventures to a mindful meditation practice, or simply a contemplative thought exercise, takes me back to my days growing up in the South Bay Area in Torrance, Redondo, Hermosa and Manhattan beaches. While bodysurfing in my early teens I remember the times waiting for the swell to arrive as a time of contemplation and review of life in general. Was it a type of informal meditation, or more of an exercise of contemplative thought?

Surfing with a physical board, or one's own body as the board, both require stages of an active meditative state of mind, focused on paddling or swimming to catch the wave. There is also time for a more calm contemplative stage while waiting for the swell to arrive. As the set on the horizon comes closer, the mind becomes less serene and contemplative, and more focused, as in a meditative state, where the focus is pinpointed to acquiring the best position for catching the wave's energy. The goal of the two may differ, where one seeks personal insight or a solution to a problem, while the other is looking for a cleansing of the mind in search of a state of calm and serenity. Goals may differ, yet both can be part of the same experience.

I would argue the same could be said for my photographic journeys. I find myself in states of both meditation and contemplation during these journeys, constantly aware of my immersion into the natural world and our neighbors living within it, thankfully expressing gratitude to my subjects for allowing me to capture their image. This gratitude is exchanged and acknowledged more through a telepathic medium in the wild, as language is exchanged more energetically through the mind, enabling each to carry on with their living. Rewards are received and accepted gracefully, as we all recognize our places in this existence we call life! Will you join me on this contemplative meditative photographic journey, as we explore together the images of our neighbors here on this sphere we call planet earth?

Please share with me what emotions stirred within you as you cycled through the many adventures explored here in my gallery. My goal is to share joy and peace to all who visit. May your journey here and in nature, be one filled with wonder, while grounded in gratitude!

Peace to you all,
Richard S Mexico