Eat Pray Love and Take Pictures

 

As I join Elizabeth Gilbert on her journey to India, the epiphanies come fast and furious. That may seem a little un-Yogic of me but I think I’m just wired that way. The first few pages have my mind racing as I read the lines that seem to speak to me directly (not to mention everyone else who has read and revered this best seller). It only takes a few paragraphs for me to acknowledge that I LOVE Yoga more than any other practice I have attempted, for one. And secondly, that my passion for photography equals, if not supersedes my love of Yoga. Here comes the Light Bulb Moment. Could it be that my zeal for both of these disciplines stem from the same inner desire? I think it’s quite possible. Hear me out.

I have read and reread the early part of the 38^th Chapter (or Tale as Mr. Gilbert considers it) and have nodded that indeed, what she writes about Yoga is all very true in my experience and is precisely why I love it as much as I do. Of course I don’t practice like I could but this isn’t the time to rehash that old story. What I find fascinating is that there is more to here that perhaps I realize. I was astounded to discover that when I replace the word Yoga with Photography, the text still makes perfect sense to me.

Disclaimer—A note to Ms. Gilbert—I do not wish to offend you or anyone else here and only take these liberties to illustrate my point.

I read these lines out loud to myself, “[Photography] is about…the dedicated effort to haul your attention away from your endless brooding over the past and your nonstop worrying about the future so that you can seek, instead, a place of eternal presence from which you may regard yourself and your surroundings with poise.” Exhale.

Here’s what I am longing to hear—do any of you find yourself on a similar quest? Are you seeking “a place of eternal presence from which you may regard yourself and your surroundings with poise?" and if so can you find that place using photography as your Guru? Too far fetched?  Well, more simply, do you have any images you've captured that as that shutter clicked, helped you to “haul your attention away” from all distraction so that you could focus on something divine in yourself or the world around you?  I would really love to see some of those photographs. Are you willing to enlighten us?

Om.

Comments

[stacelet]

I do understand. Before I ever knew I liked photography, before I considered that this would one day become important to me, I took this picture. It captured a moment; to me it's evocative, emotional, enriched. It took me out of an incredibly intense moment, stilled it, and allowed me to breathe...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stacelet/853181189/in/set-72157600722331275/

[melody]

Oh goodness, Tracey, I so get this, and I love that book.

I've never thought to replace the word yoga with photography (I am a yoga gal), but, you know, it does work. Every time I click my camera I am taken away. And lately I'm on a mission...not posting many photos...but still...on a mission. :)

[Aimee]

I have not read the book yet. It is sitting on my nightstand. Newly given to me as a gift. It is the next book I read. I love yoga and photography. You have my intrigued.

Photography does take me away. When I am off shooting I loose notion of time and often get lost as I walk the streets of Paris shooting things that catch my attention. Before I know it, I have no idea where I am.

This photo was taken this weekend at the market. The morning was so crisp and clean. The market is a very therapeutic place for me. Contemplating what to buy for the week, the sights the smells. The recognition of regulars.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/putyourflareon/2270861199/

This photo transports me. I love looking at it and looking forward to this Sunday's trip to the market.

[Aimee]

I should have posted this link:

http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/onblack.php?id=2270861199&size=large

Must better feel of the mood. :)

[mel from freak parade]

I have never done yoga, but photography definitely hauls me away from distraction.It encourages my eyes to see the beauty in the mundane, and to find joy in the small details.
I was trying to capture the color and expression in my son's eyes, as he sat,thinking in the sun....I had no idea when I took this picture, that I had captured the image of myself in his eye until I uploaded it at home.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/muckyyuck/2277036736/

[maya]

i often can't find the words to express what my camera means to me. and eat, pray, love definitely had an effect on me. right now, i'm just looking for forward motion.

http://springtreeroad.typepad.com/springtreeroad/2008/02/oh-where-to-beg.html

[patty craft]

Thank you for sharing your experience and discovery of the interchangeability of "yoga" and "photography." I'm currently re-reading Eat, Pray, Love and like you, feel I've found a kindred spirit in Ms. Gilbert.

My wings are made of words (rather than photos). But lately I've discovered a burning desire to explore photography; a desire I've never experienced before. On my blog I've got a blogroll of sites that inspire, and I'm realizing that there are as many photography sites as there are other types. Thank you for your willingness to share your journey, and for inspiring me to pursue something new (and exciting) on my own part of the path.

Wishing you peace and love.

[Mrs. Eaves]

Hmmm...I think I may need to add this to my need-to-read list.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/23151594@N07/2276487317/

[kristin]

i too have devoured this book. my copy dog-eared and worn with love. i first went in search of a photo of nature. living near the ocean, its vastness, its stormy and calm, speaks to me. but then i stumbled on an old photo of our little baby who was a hurricane from the moment she was born. all storms and cries. so restless she made my heart ache at times. but this one morning i woke to find her in such peace, even her pose looks unreal to me. but this is how i found her, after being banned (so to speak) to the pack-n-play in the living room, after a typical horrendous night of non-sleep. comfortable in the eye of her storm...baby zen
http://www.flickr.com/photos/14811117@N02/2277296962/

[JennyB]

Sometimes it amazes me that a camera can capture how I actually see the world. It provides me with a way to capture a moment.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/23134155@N07/2276543189/

[jen lemen]

i think photography absolutely can be a spiritual discipline in the classic sense of the word. it's showing me how sharp (and also sometimes how shallow) my vision of the world is and it's driving me to dig deeper, to really see what's there in front of me, and not just what i imagine what i see at first glance. thank you for this.

[Kristin]

I also read that book and although I didn't get through the whole thing (had to return it to the library and couldn't renew due to all the other women waiting to read it) it is an amazing book. I need to finish to check it out again.

Having three children leaves little time to go off on one's own and get lost in the moments of photography, but it does happen sometimes. I took my three year old out on a very foggy warm day in February recently and brought the camera to see what we would find. Well I found a lot! So much that I had to keep remembering I had my three year old with me and to keep an eye on him so he wouldn't end up in the stream. This photo lost me the most although there was a whole series of photos I got from this day that I just loved.

http://kphotodesign.typepad.com/k/2008/02/photo-a-day-red.html

[camerashymomma]

yes yes! my god, what a beautiful picture tracey. and thanks for the book recommendation, i haven't read it yet.

i find that this, what you are describing in your post, is what gets me through daily life. sometimes life isnt' how you thought it'd be. and just by focusing, by putting on the blinders to the negativity and picking out the beauty, i find my breath. sometimes the world is too big and you've got to get small to remember all the love and light (beyond work, dishes, mice in the house, unpaid bills, and the reoccuring fight that never finds closure)

here's my most recent attempt to remember. to freeze frame to a moment where i was at peace with wet feet and a sandy toed kid.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/camerashymomma/2262182398/

[Stephanie]

OOOOOOO...I LUUUU-UHHHVE that book. I have let so many people borrow it and I have read it at least 3 times. Here is my zen moment of photography...everytime I look at it I am back in the zen-zone :http://slsmithphotgraphy.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/02/zen-photography.html

[cherryfizzy]

mostly, the simple things are the best distractions, aren't they?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cherryfizzy/2249245331/

I love everyone's shots so far.

[cotterpin]

This totally clicked with me (pardon the pun)- it seems like when I'm looking through that camera, I'm no longer hot/cold/hungry/tired/anxious...I'm just trying to get the picture right. Very zen-like, but I never thought of it that way until now.


http://cotterpinhouse.wordpress.com/2007/12/11/avalanche-of-savings/

[Kacey]

That book was amazing, wasn't it? I guess I never thought about it that way, but yes, photography does do the same thing for me as yoga. And when I'm really lucky, a photo will take me deep into life itself.Where I'm just there in that one single moment. This deer in the snow was one of those pics.

http://www.wineonthekeyboard.com/2008/02/03/snowy-deer/

[Lucy]

Not necessarily the best photo, but the calm this brings to my soul is complete.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lucindasummerville/2277504004/

[Melissa Anne Morelli]

I am a nature girl...my zen come with the calmness and centering located in the open spaces, mountains and the water. One of my favorite pictures to spark lovely relaxed daydreams is an image from my honeymoon on an island in Belize.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/23520407@N06/2276743047/

Have a balanced and memorable day :)

[Jen]

This book has been sitting on my nightstand since the summer. I need to make time to read it as I have heard so many rave reviews about it. Thanks for making the connection between yoga and photography, Tracey. Photography is definitely something that brings balance and peace to my life.

[leslie]

Wow Tracey. Life is so funny sometimes. I finished this book only two days ago! I had not considered placing photography where she places yoga but I am so inspired to do so now. I loved the book and although I am experiencing some difficult parallels with the author at the moment she does such a beautiful job of reminding us of the strength and power each of us holds within.

I love shooting for clients and photo challenges and even a preconceived blog post now and then. I will admit there is a different energy involved in these situations than the one where you just pick up the camera and literally disappear into what you are doing just for the sake of it.

I am honored you chose one of my shots as an example and not surprised at all that it really was one of those "disappear" moments for me :) I think I'll print the quote you used to keep in my camera bag as a reminder to stay present.

And I love your photo (ribbon? incense?)...

[Bridge]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/23591135@N02/2276786893/
My travels to Navajo Country always help me to find peace.

[Paige]

I loved that book as well. And lovely photo Tracey.

[Ashley]

this perfectly describes how i feel about both yoga and photography as well. i couldn't have said it better myself...

have i mentioned how much I love this blog?

[carie]

Hmmm.
I think some of you would enjoy
"Tao of Photography: Unlock Your Creativity Using the Wisdom of the East"
by Tom Ang

Also "God Is at Eye Level: Photography as a Healing Art" by Jan Phillips.

[vivienne]

yes. yes. yes. i so resonate with your epiphany tracey! though i relate to it a bit differently. creativity is the way i feel most connected to divinity. when music and songwriting was my main creative avenue, it was phenomenal to experience songs emerging whole or feeling like they didn't come from me but through me. and when i sing i feel so present. now that photography consumes most of my creative energy, i'm constantly amazed at how present i feel when i'm looking through the viewfinder. i can easily say that Creativity is my Guru.

I love the way you inserted Photography into that quote. It resonates perfectly. I LOVED eat pray love. I re-read small bits of it for inspiration quite often. Thank you for this post. I don't have a picture in mind yet, but perhaps I'll post one later!

[Lauren C.]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/23924687@N03/2277669706/

A warm and peaceful escape...

[Shalet]

I love yoga too but do not practice as I should. Photography absolutely carries me away - maybe a little too much as it drives my family crazy. This is one of my favorite shots. I dragged the fam up and down the streets of Seattle looking for the perfect photographic opportunity; ignorant of traffic, whinny kids, bored hubbie, etc. Finally I found it.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/peculiarmomma/298197039/

And I finally figured out the best way to entertain the kids - get them their own cameras. Now to teach them yoga ... :o)

[O]

I haven't read 'Eat, Pray, Love' though I saw the author on 'Oprah'. I'm don't do yoga so I haven't read the book , thinking I wouldn't identify with anything in the book. I may have to rethink that notion but I love how you replaced 'yoga' with 'photography'. I CAN relate to the feeling you get when you get lost in the process and get taken away, mentally, spiritually, by a single image. Love the blog & all the creativity and fellowship here.

[Kathleen]

The natural world always has a way of making me breathe a bit more deeply...here's a small glimpse of the marsh.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/23630286@N05/2256837138/

[krystyn]

A soulsister just gave this book to me, literally, days ago. I actually flipped to the middle first, to get a feel for the story, and the page I turned to felt like it was written for me. I turned back to the first page and have been reading it every night.

This morning I discovered an image that unlocked something divine in the world around me:
http://www.jenlemen.com/blog/?p=329

Not my photo, but one I will be printing and hanging where it will be seen every day. I feel like the inner circle, with those I love and who give me strength residing in the outer circles.

[simply]

http://bp2.blogger.com/_A1Xbjk4uEks/RuDY8b7XRAI/AAAAAAAAAXo/XL8sSuVOVuY/s1600-h/grow+where+your+planted.jpg

simply put..."grow where your planted" I sat down on this log and noticed this beautiful flower growing out of it...it always makes me stare in amazment when I see something grow out of nothing.

~simply~

[Charlotte]

Eat Pray Love is a wonderful book, such an easy read, really allows you to think your own thoughts as you follow along, you are not caught up trying to figure out what is going on. What a great photo challenge...

http://mothernaturesdaughter.wordpress.com

[D]

This post resonates so deeply with me. I just finished sending an email telling someone about the photographer I consider to be my guru.

Thank you for this gift today.

[suz]

i smiled through your post b/c i am in the middle of that book right now too and can relate on many levels as well. henri cartier bresson (my favorite photographer - guru) calls it "the decisive moment" - that perfect moment when you just feel when to snap the shutter. i marvel at his moments and am on a never ending quest to discover my own.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/78865561@N00/2277353611/

[toyfoto]

I'm not sure who I am anymore. A lable doesn't cover it all.

http://flickr.com/photos/toyfoto/5843073/in/set-159889/

My guess is that's a part of the calm.

[D]

This post resonates so deeply with me. I am currently on the journey through India with Ms. Gilbert as well and, coincidentally, I just finished sending an email telling someone about the photographer I consider to be my guru before visiting here.

Thank you for this gift of new perspective today.

[Kelly]

I have this book on my nightstand, ready to read next! Looking forward to it.

Photography absolutely takes me to another place where everything else disappears and I just lose myself in the subject. Here is one of my favorite examples:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/momofthreewi/370202918/in/set-72157594501622427/

[Bunny]

Yes, yes, yes and yes! I had some of the same feelings when reading the book. We all share a quest for a similar presence. I sort of find this akin to the fact that her spiritual journey can be realted to by people of many different faiths,,Christian, Buddist, etc. We all find beauty and peace ans spirituality in different ways. Amen, Sister!

[Marcie]

WOW Tracey!
As I read thru your post..I thought these could be MY exact words. I not only practice yoga daily..but my photography has become a daily 'practice' as well. It has become - for me - a complete meditation all on its own. And - I too - loved Elizabeth Gilbert's book..having read it now twice from cover to cover.
Here are a few recent pix....
Enjoy!
http://marciescudder.blogspot.com/2008/01/twinkle.html
http://marciescudder.blogspot.com/2008/01/spirits-speaking.html
http://marciescudder.blogspot.com/2008/02/shattered-glass.html
http://marciescudder.blogspot.com/2008/02/buds-and-flakes.html

[nicole]

i have loved this books since the very moment i picked it up, almost a year ago... i read it over and over and always manage to find something new. it's been my best friend. my truth. my peace. my guidance.

and just the other day in the cold winter here in the mid-west i lost myself with my camera in my hand. and it was with something as simple as flowers. pure beauty.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/n_elle/2273677836/

[Jacki]

http://thehomegrill.blogspot.com/2008/02/looking-beyond.html

Beautiful pictures!

[calissa]

Hi there,
just started checking out this blog. I'm hooked!! I'm very new to the photography thing... have always snapped pictures like a crazy woman, but am just now seeing it as *photography* and that I can maybe actually do this kinda well.

So my favorite photo of all time, where I was caught off guard and ended up standing in the moment for a while and just cherishing the beauty.... taken last Fall and the lighting was impeccable.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/marycalissa/2101395019

[sheri]

i am reading that book right now too. and LOVING it. it's like a a lightbulb a chapter for me. i don't have a specific photo to share today, but yes, yes, yes to all your questions. it is the seeking for the divine that takes me there...to attempt that shot...every...single...time...

[Rachel Schell]

I just bought this book because I was soooooo touched by this blog. I can't wait to start reading it. Have to finish The Memory Keepers Daughter first.

[new Movies]

I have read this book last month. It is so touching story. Now i can't wait for the film based on this book.