And part of the experience of time when you are under pressure, is the feeling that it is running out. Space and time are not two separate things connected, but a continuum, as Einstein pointed out. I mentioned that a camera is a time machine. So we need a refocussing anti distraction device - a camera. The distraction that dilutes our attention is not technology, or data, or emails or anything else, the cause of our distraction is the endless thoughts we have about things. The act of being present becomes a more fulfilling experience because you have become more connected to the real world, and not lost in the constant mind chatter in your head, which is the source of distraction & loss of focus. You will become aware of the delicate relationship between the single elements you see in space. Once you have reconnected with the present moment things in it will emerge in clearer detail around you. As the father of urban street photography Henri Cartier-Bresson might have said - back into the present 'Decisive Moment' to capture a great image. Photography when it is a mindful act can be a way to bring your distracted mind fully back into the present moment. By using a camera in this mindless way, the opportunity is lost to refocus ourselves in the present moment, and regain our diminishing attention span.Ī camera is a time machine, it records a moment in time as much as it does a fragment of 3 dimensional space. Of course for the attention deficit - and we are all attention deficit these days - using a smart phone camera to make an image is usually just another unconscious act we perform during the day, to take a quick snap shot of something or of somebody. Visual communication is the predominant mode of information exchange.
In the long time line of great innovation the convergence of a camera and a telephone was not just a smart idea, it was a smart evolutionary step for us to take.īecause at the very heart of what makes us human is the artistic impulse to represent reality in images, and then share those images with others. We tend to blame technology for this, and yet one piece of technology can reset our attention & refocus us in a remarkably creative way. In this age of infinite digital data it is our attention which is in short supply. A curse because we seem to be at the mercy of technology’s distractive allure. A blessing in that we are connected to each other and to information in an unprecedented way. Technology has always been a boon to mankind’s rapid progress on the planet, but the 21st century arrived riding on a wave of some truly dazzling disruptive innovation and behaviour changing devices, that now seem to be both a blessing and a curse.
0 kommentar(er)
