Masters of Kokoro
Before photography……there was budō.
Rich and I met 23 years ago in a dojo. We were inseparable from the very first minute I stuck my foot in his groin and flipped him over my head by his balls. I guess he liked my forthright personality and my…er…strong feet.Anyhoo, we continued our studies of all things violent for many years thereafter, primarily judo and later moving onwards and upwards to karate and then aikido (think Steven Seagal in a very bad mood) and I only stopped ten years ago because I was expressly forbidden from contact sports after my head was carved up (my neurologist opinioned that break-falling on concrete wouldn’t be good for a woman with bits of her skull missing.) There’s not a day goes by that I don’t miss it.
Clayre McKinnen
Martial arts are much more than fighting, hence the word budō which describes the Japanese philosophy and way of life. Aikido in particular encompasses not only physical but also spiritual and moral dimensions with a focus on self-improvement and personal enlightenment. It’s not all about beating the crap out of big scary guys, you know (although that certainly has its fun moments.)
In many ways Japanese martial arts are not so different from fine art nude photography. Many of the Japanese principles and philosophies overlap and permeate our own arty world. For example much of martial arts involves learning different poses. Putting ones body into a particular position or stance is thought to both discipline the mind and be a very good preparation of what is to follow. In many ways this is similar to fine art figure modeling where models often have to hold a pose for an extended length of time and remain absolutely still for as long as necessary. I don’t know about others, but when I pose I automatically fall into a state of calm mental focus, my mind is quiet, I am immersed in the moment and I am aware only of myself and the instructions of the photographer. It’s exactly the same as when I was in the dojo all those years ago.
Our training also explains why Rich is drawn to fine art nude photography, because that is the way he thinks. He has done martial arts all his life which means that his outlook on life is very calm and disciplined, and so his photography reflects the Japanese emphasis on form, on seeing the self from the outside. The studio in many ways is similar to the dojo, simple, unadorned, without distraction, so that the only focus is on the subject. The model poses are a form of kata, moving purposely, slowly, with focus and self-awareness, not unlike a kind of ritual. Pure precision, grace and mental readiness are emphasized. The whole message is not about the passions and emotions of an individual (portrait-style), it is on that single moment of mental quietness which is found within martial arts, not dissimilar to Zen Buddism which concentrates on the enlightened moment achieved when the intellect is emptied.
Now perhaps you see why Rich photographs the way he does? This is who he is and how he thinks. His creative vision will always strongly mirror his lifetime of being trained in the psychology of Kokoro-gamae. In Japanese "Kokoro" has a diffuse but beautiful meaning which can be translated as "heart," "spirit," "soul" or “mind.” In martial arts, Kokoro-gamae is therefore the posture of the heart and mind. It is “the intention and resolve produced by the heart, processed by the mind, and revealed in one's appearance, behavior, speech, and action.” It defines who we are.
IMO, kokoro is one of the most important principles in photography. The Masters of Photography might not have known what it was called, but they knew instinctively how to use it and how important it was.
To most of you reading this, photography is not about snapping pictures. It is our way of life. A truly successful photograph speaks not just from capturing a moment in time, but also from capturing the heart. Only if the photographer reflects what is within him, how he thinks, understands and feels, can the photograph be truly successful. As with kokoro, the heart and mind must be as one. When photography is truly at its best, it touches the soul, because it comes from the soul.
May we all be Masters of Kokoro one day.
Roswell Ivory
Labels: Clayre McKinnen, Philosophy, Roswell Ivory
posted by Lin at 1:05 PM
6 Comments:
Well I can't remember the last time I thought of Steven Seagal, but thanks for another peek behind the scenes of the Fluffytek way of life and art.
D.L. Wood
Hiya Lin,
A very interesting post again, and it's great to hear about and understand better how Rich finds his inspiration.
But yet again I have to take a different point of view. IMO, kokoro, while a valid expression of a way of working, is the perspective of one type of photography and not of all of it. I don't think it's fair to raise it up as an ideal.
It's like French painting 150 years ago. The obsession with form, inner calmness and the end product reflecting what is within was very much the theme of the French establishment painters in the period running up to the rise of the expressionists. To these established painters, the expressionists were morons, idiots who knew nothing about painting, who's work had no soul, because it wasn't suffused with symbolism and poses reflecting inner messages and layers of meaning. To the expressionists, that point of view seemed like a pile of crap and they didn't care. What they valued instead was the immediacy of working at speed, leading to an ability to capture the joy of light in nature. It wasn't that the painting reflected the inner them, but that they reflected the beauty of what was out there already, waiting to be seen and known. They were the conduits of the paintings. It was specifically NOT about control or finesse, but about life, spontaneity and transience.
I would see that same distinction between styles as reflected in the difference between what you describe and reportage photography, where the best photographer has that unteachable instinct to be in the right place at the right time to catch that one moment that captures a person, place, time, whatever.
Both are valid, both can produce brilliant work, but they couldn't be more opposite.
I understand your point Grommit, although I would argue that regardless of genre, for all serious photographers, heart & mind are a way of life. It's how they look at the world, which in turn spills over into their photographic work. It's impossible to shoot emotive photographs (of whatever genre) without part of the photographer's essence being reflected in his or her work.
Regarding reportage photography, I have read that the instinct of which you speak comes as much from the heart and mind as does art photography, moreso in fact because really good reportage photographers shoot only what they feel passionately about, and they do it in such a way that accentuates their heartfelt (moral) message to the viewer. Nachtwey is a prime example:
http://www.xdrtb.org/index.php
(Thanks to Jimmy D for the link.)
Very well-written, Grasshoppa!
I know I've also often compared some of the technical aspect of what I do to my military training as a sniper. The same discipline in trigger squeeze (to eliminate left & right movement), breath control (to eliminate up & down movements), as well as patience to wait all day for that one perfect shot.
Just what is that ingredient that causes you to just stop and take in that one image after flipping through hundreds of images before?
That moment of 'Kokoro' seems to transcend the paper its printed on or the electrons that display it. A picture either has soul or it doesn't.
Same in music, same in theater.
I've just never read where it was put so well. Thanks!
How nice to know more about you and Rich. I learn something every time I visit here. The image you describe, flipping him by the balls, will remain in my mind's eye for a long time.
TNL, a sniper!!! I knew there was something HOT about you. That's sexy.
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