The A,B,C's of Contemplative Photography - N

N is for Nuance (and also for Narrative and Nothingness and Nature and...)

...a subtle difference or

shade of meaning...

   What one finds in the landscape is never carved in stone.  There is always a nuance to it.  I like the phrase "shade of meaning".   It can be open to interpretation.

   I am often asked if there are any universals in contemplative photography.  I would have to answer, not at all.  If beauty can be in the eye of the beholder, so can meaning.

   To understand nature's nuances is to appreciate the complexity of the eye of the beholder.  We all see what we are conditioned to see and, more importantly, what we need to see.  I also believe in the synchronicity of the experience.  As Rumi says...

What we seek is also seeking us.

   To really see into the nature of the landscape is to appreciate and value its varying nuances. You can never truly know nature any more than you can know the Divine. You can think all you'd like about it but in the end all you can really do is to behold.