New Theme for February, 2025
Searching for Beauty - New theme for February 2025 for the community
This month I asked all of you to choose the theme and there were some very interesting ideas. At the end of the day I have chosen Mandy Murray’s idea on beauty, and labelled it “Searching for Beauty”.
In today’s world one can be consumed with the noise of politics, and it is just that, noise. Ugly men and women with emotional issues banging their biscuit tins, people wanting us to join them in their quest for power and control. The Pied Pipers wanting the rats to follow.
We are not rats, are we?
The world is much more beautiful than the ugliness of humans in power, sometimes though we have to search for it under the layers of barbarism and brute ego. Believe me, it can be found.
This is the project for February then, to search for beauty wherever you are.
Have fun with composition. Your scene doesn’t have to be extraordinary, but it should be different to the shooter styles of 99 percent of photographers. Please your elements carefully, check your angle of view, exclude what you don’t want, consider the aspect ratio and fire.
The Best Camera is the One in Your Hand
Mandy Murray Month.
Where can you find beauty?
You can find it in Shape and Form, in quiet landscapes, in textures and Shapes (Helen and Lyndel) and the way light reflects and casts shadows. You can find it in animals, insects and birds and the whole of nature. Like Bernhard, you can find it in the quietness of nature, where the noises we hear heal us because they are natural and not forced upon us.
You can find it on the look on the face of a loved one, in the naive expressions of children. Like Lynne’s idea, you can find it in friendships across the nations, the common things we share as people.
Alson’s idea of sustenance, and that speaks to me of gratitude for the provisions we have for the day, visualised through photography and art.
We find beauty in the ability to sleep, (Ruth) and that in itself is reflected in our practice of gratitude for the good things in the world. We can train our minds and thoughts to align with the better things of life, and train ourselves not through scrolling endlessly on social media, but by getting out into the real world, getting on our knees, examining a single blade of grass, and staying with it, thanking it for being a part of our lives.
Gently touching, hearing, seeing, visualising, embracing the fragrances, and being in the moment.
This is what life was meant to be, walk away from the biscuit tin noises, don’t engage, don’t argue with bafoons - be the person who is filled with peace regardless.
The greatest thing we can do is respond to ugliness with beauty, pointing to deeper meanings below the shouts of those who have already lost the plot.
Enjoy the new theme this month and may your search for beauty become a new way of seeing a world that is, after all, quite extraordinary.
Best Wishes
Charles the Light Coach
Guaranteed Inspiration
Exploring the works of photographers who capture the serene beauty of nature can be truly inspiring. Here are a few artists whose portfolios embody a quiet appreciation for the natural world:
Adrian Vila: A Spanish-American photographer renowned for his evocative black-and-white images, Vila's work emphasizes the silence and introspection found in nature. His compositions often feature tranquil scenes like mist-covered lakes and ancient forests, inviting viewers to experience the serene aspects of the natural world.
Alex Greenshpun: An Israeli photographer who focuses on the simple beauties of nature, Greenshpun's images exude calmness and wonder. She captures flora and fauna in their most delicate states, presenting them in a way that evokes a sense of awe and tranquility.
Additionally, the PhotoVogue Festival 2025 is showcasing "The Nature of Hope" by Vital Impacts, featuring over 100 powerful images from celebrated wildlife photographers that highlight the fragility and beauty of our planet.
These artists and exhibitions offer profound insights into the quiet elegance of nature through their photography.
Nothing relaxes you like being in nature . Watch this and expereience the way your mind and body winds down and feels safer, and more attuned .
