Contemplative Photography in Everyday Life
A direct connection with the world and with yourself
Presented by: Michel Proulx, Helmut Mohelsky, & Sacha-Marie Levay
Michel Proulx will act as the MC of the evening
Wednesday, December 2, 2020
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENTATION (SEE INDIVIDUAL BIOGRAPHIES BELOW)
In this "contemplative" evening,you will find that creativity is like your toothbrush. It is recommended to use it every day! What is contemplative photography exactly? So called "Contemplative photography" is a "soft" non technical approach, accessible to everyone independently of your knowledge and equipment. It is not a "style" but rather a way of life. This approach does not engage your brain but rather your senses and your capacity of letting go.
Contemplative photography is good for your brain by pushing away competition and struggle with your subject and with yourself. It will make your body feel relaxed by slowing down your day-to-day rhythm of life. As contemplative photographers says; "We walk at the speed of our creativity". The contemplative approach will also touch your heart and sensibilities by giving you access deeply to your full consciousness. Without access to your full consciousness, you cannot access your personal creativity, which is not located between your two ears but far deeper inside you.
Is contemplative approach therapeutic? For sure! And as a bonus, you will produce everyday images that will illustrate YOUR vision rather than THE vision based on labelling the subject as photogenic or not. Based on "flashes of perception", you will stop searching for "good subjects" but you will let the world come to you easily with an open mind.
You want to become a creative photographer? It is too late, your are already!
In this "contemplative" evening,you will find that creativity is like your toothbrush. It is recommended to use it every day! What is contemplative photography exactly? So called "Contemplative photography" is a "soft" non technical approach, accessible to everyone independently of your knowledge and equipment. It is not a "style" but rather a way of life. This approach does not engage your brain but rather your senses and your capacity of letting go.
Contemplative photography is good for your brain by pushing away competition and struggle with your subject and with yourself. It will make your body feel relaxed by slowing down your day-to-day rhythm of life. As contemplative photographers says; "We walk at the speed of our creativity". The contemplative approach will also touch your heart and sensibilities by giving you access deeply to your full consciousness. Without access to your full consciousness, you cannot access your personal creativity, which is not located between your two ears but far deeper inside you.
Is contemplative approach therapeutic? For sure! And as a bonus, you will produce everyday images that will illustrate YOUR vision rather than THE vision based on labelling the subject as photogenic or not. Based on "flashes of perception", you will stop searching for "good subjects" but you will let the world come to you easily with an open mind.
You want to become a creative photographer? It is too late, your are already!
MICHEL PROULX
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HELMUT MOHELSKY
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SACHA-MARIE LEVAY
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Michel Proulx:
The teacher... He will fill your agenda with «strange» exercises to provoke «flashes of perception» |
Helmut Mohelsky:
Kind of a guru will talk about the importance of the Zen approach in photography |
Sacha-Marie Levay:
The artist with a day-to-day vision of the ordinary becoming extraordinary |
Michel Proulx: Safari Photo aux Iles de la Madeleine - June 7 to 13, 2021 or September 7 to 13, 2021 (Website: www.photographie-tous-azimuts.com)
Helmut Mohelsky: -Book entitled “Seeing with Your Own Eyes” – available on Amazon Canada (Website: http://www.aboutseeing.com)
Sacha Marie Levay: 2021 Calendar entitled "Contemplations et subsistance 2021" (Email: sachamarielevay@gmail.com) - About $28 with tax
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BIOGRAPHY: MICHEL PROULX
Michel Proulx have 44 years of experience as a creative photography instructor, twenty of which specifically teaching creativity and contemplative photography all over the Quebec province. He gives more than 40 conferences and lectures in photo clubs every year. His training and work experience as a Photography Instructor and Photo Director at Collège Marsan School of Photography have contributed to making him an excellent communicator and transmitter of the passion of photography. Beyond being devoted to supporting students’ creative process, he is experienced in instructing basics as well as advanced techniques. As for his training, he has a diploma from the Collège du Vieux-Montréal in photography techniques and a university certificate in Adult Education and group animation. His first language is French, but having worked in professional studios for many years with photographers like Bob Fisher (Montreal) and Penthouse Magazine in USA, he has been trained mainly in English. As a professional photographer, he made his career working for commercial studios, Olympic Game, magazines, newspapers and publicity agencies. For 10 years, he has been working full time as a photography instructor for different institutions and photography schools in Montreal. He is well known to "contaminate" his students with passion and unlimited creative energy. His lectures and courses are as he is in his life: emotional, passionate, energizing, intense and a little bit foolish! |
    
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BIOGRAPHY: HELMUT MOHELSKY
In 2013, I signed up for a course that was given by Michel Proulx at College Marsan. The name of the course was Contemplative Photography. In Michel, we had an experienced teacher who knew how to create a safe space for his students, a space that allowed us to experiment freely, to grow and to discover ways of expressing oneself creatively – with a camera in hand. In 2014, I participated again in a one-week workshop on Contemplative Photography that Michel gave on Iles-de-la-Madeleine. It was another occasion to deepen not only one’s experience with contemplative photography but to connect more deeply with other participants like Sacha and others. Throughout, Sacha has been very productive and committed to the process of contemplative photography. We keep in touch and appreciate each other’s work. -Book entitled “Seeing with Your Own Eyes” – available on Amazon Canada -Website: http://www.aboutseeing.com |
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BIOGRAPHY: SACHA MARIE LEVAY
I came to contemplative photography in 2014 after a seven year dry spell in my art practice. A long time… I was tired of the isolation necessary to create and felt I had nothing more to say through my painting. But being a creative being, like we all are, I really needed to have an outlet for my expression of meaning and beauty. Destiny (or luck?) put Michel Proulx on my path and I gobbled up everything he had to share about contemplative photography with great knowledge, generosity and enthusiasm. I learned to tap into presence and connect with life around me and with myself. It became possible to be creative and not be isolated. I could tap into my presence and surroundings as sources of inspiration and therefore be more fully connected to life. I have been committed to a photo challenge I gave myself in 2016 which consists of taking and publishing one contemplative photo a day. This is my 5th year. It has been such an enriching process that it has become a part of my life. My training is in museology (College Montmorency) and painting and drawing (BFA from Concordia in Studio arts). I have learned to do gilding and frame conservation through internships in Europe, the U.S., Russia and Canada and have been giving workshops on gilding and the importance of frames at Queens University since 2000. I have been working at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts since 1991. |
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