Tao of Photography: Seeing Beyond Seeing

Before shouting "Oh no! Not another book on Tao of something..."; I must tell you that this book has got to be named like this!It is "indeed" on photography from a philosophical Taoist angle. And, I must also tell you at the beginning that it is a very good one at that.If you are interested more in the "technical" aspects of photography, this should be the last book you ever touch! If, on the other hand, you are after a peaceful, calm, balanced, natural and relaxing approach to photography; you are at the right place! Mind you, this is as much on philosophy as it is on photography...The book tries to present photography as an extension of the (philosophical) Taoist view of life. (The stress on "philosophical", which I will not repeat anymore, is important since it has little in common with the "religion" of the same name). The guide is one of the essential books of Taoism (Chuang-tzu) compiled more than two thousand years ago. That is, some years before the invention of photography! The principles are simple, clear and durable as they have already stood the test of time for such a long time. A present day empiricist can, however, easily (dis)regard all the Taoist volumes as "totally useless" if not "meaningless" because they may mean different things to different people. If you think you are one, let this book is read by somebody else! Just look at the subtitle of the book as a test to find out your position: "Seeing beyond seeing".Both the authors are academicians and the principal author is a real photographer. The book contains two types of photographs; those of P. Gross are selected nicely to accompany the text and are printed small. They do work nicely in this regard and can be enjoyed also by themselves. The second type of photographs are those of the "giants", from Alfred Stieglitz to Minor White and from H. Cartier Bresson to Elliott Erwitt . This latter type of photos are printed on a full page; a pleasure to look at. They also fit the subjects at hand.The production quality of the square format book from its paper and font to the reproductions are nothing less then first class. The visual design is beautiful and lets one enjoy, for example, some words of wisdom by prominent photographers placed alone at the center of a full page. Although this design feature can be seen as a waste of space; I have certainly enjoyed looking at an occasional lightly populated page with a short, strong message at the very center.I finish by providing two words of wisdom (which are abound in the book) from page 101:- The bells and stones have voices but, unless they are struck, they will not sound. "Chuang-tzu".- Aesthetics is for the artists as ornithology is for the birds. "Barnett Newman".A photographer who believes in the above after reading the book and practices accordingly, becomes a different photographer...This is not a book that is to be read from cover to cover while eating a sandwich on your way to work (a life should not be lived like that, anyway).It is for contemplation.It is a praise for a slow pace, a suitably attentive open mind, and a broad, relaxed view of the thing we call life.Photography is a part of that...

The Tao of Photography is not aimed at individuals interested in improving their technical photography skills. Rather it is aimed at the photographer who will be willing to consider reorienting the way that he or she views the world to improve his or her photography and to find opportunities for personal growth through photography.The book does this by outlining some of the principles of Taoism, an ancient Asian philosophy of life, and then drawing parallels to the teachings of great photographers, like Minor White, Henri Cartier Bresson, and Ansel Adams. Taoist philosophy states that, to be a sage (and, by extension, a creative photographer), a person must harmonize Great Understanding and Little Understanding, that is, the open mind and the discriminatory or constricted mind. What the photographer must do is live in the moment and open his mind to the possibilities in the world. One should escape from the state of constricted awareness. Technique is seen as a possible barrier to better photography.It has been said that the most important tool of a photographer is the mind. One's philosophical approach to the world may indeed affect the quality of the images that one captures. If, as I believe, this is so, a book that suggests an adjustment of that approach is worth consideration by the serious photographer.This book convinced me that adopting a Taoist view of the world might improve the quality of the pictures I take. However, my complaint with the book is that having created a desire to explore Taoist doctrine, there were no guide posts as to how to incorporate those principles into my photography or my life. The book did suggest several exercises, most of them derived from Freeman Patterson's "Photography and the Art of Seeing", but I've tried them and they didn't lead to the major refocusing that the book suggests. In fact the book even quoted Alan Watts, a commentator on Asian philosophy, who says "there is no way ...to come into accord with the Tao...because...every method implies a goal. And we cannot make the Tao a goal."So this book got my attention and created a need, and offered no help in satisfying it. Yet it did cause me to examine my own photographic philosophy. Any book that can get a serious photographer to reconsider his fundamental approach to life and its effect on his work is certainly worth reading.The book itself is quite beautiful. The photographs, by a number of great camera artists as well as author Gross, are all in black and white, as if abstracting color would simplify the world and make it easier to come to grips with. The design is excellent and generous, with plenty of white space, perhaps designed to reflect the serenity of the Way.

This is a beautifully written and inspiringly illustrated book which I read with deep pleasure. It is not just for photographers - all readers enjoying a thoughtful text on awareness and mindfulness in life will find wisdom and delight here. I am looking forward to reading it through a second time, and going back to it again and again over time. It has inspired me to search for other Taoist writing, and other photography writings, and I have already found a copy of Jeff Berners's book which is quoted from by the authors. "Tao of Photography" is a real jewel!

An interesting book which will probably change how you view photography. Not for the photographer who wants to photograph the usual landscapes at dawn. This is for the person who wants to put a bit of themselves into the picture. Worth reading if you want to move on in your photography. Illustrated with photographs from acknowledged masters of the medium as well as the authors own work.

I have to say I was a little wary of this book having seen a review of it in a photography magazine that said it was bit hard going. However, I found it very enjoyable and rewarding to read. It's a very different perspective on both life and photography and I can definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to go beyond taking snap shots and move on to serious photography.I also bought it from one of the 3rd party sellers in the States as it was half the price of buying it from Amazon in the UK!

great book

This book was recommended to me by someone who is an excellent photographer and writer. So I took the plunge. My first reaction after flipping through was one of horror, all those quotes. Quotes can be useful, they may reinforce existing thought processes or even change preconceived ideas. However, much writing about photography is littered with quotations from sources other than the writer. Or, put it another way, if you cannot think of anything original to say, quote someone who did. The quotes in this book have done the rounds and seem hackneyed or relevant to another era.Here's one taken at random from this book - "The best way to to go into an unknown territory is to go in ignorant". Dorothea LangeThat's it. No explanation. Lange also said (not in this book) that to know in advance what one is going to photograph is "very limiting" or words to that effect. I'm not criticising the great woman but she was involved in possibly the largest photographic project ever undertaken where Roy Stryker had drawn up lists of subjects to be photographed, in the minutest detail. My point is that most of these 'sound bites' are meaningless out of context. I could drone on but I'm not convinced that Taoism is about doing or not doing what someone else has directed, a kind of contradiction in terms. Add the remarks taken from Chuang-tzu and largely what one has is a compendium of phrases coined by other people. The photographs are excellent including those by Mr Gross. If you get past the blank, crimson home page on his web site, please let me know how you did it. Perhaps it's a Taoist thing?Here's an idea. Go out, take photographs, you'll either get it or you won't.