Fall is one of my favorite seasons for photography. Each year I plan a trip to follow the changing colors as they roll south. This year is no exception. I am currently in the Smoky Mountains after hitting two other locations further north earlier this week. Next week will be southern Tennessee, north Alabama and Georgia. In the next few weeks I will begin posting some of the photographs from this season. The photograph above I made last year in Vermont.

What is Wabi-Sabi and what does it have to do with my photography?  Wabi-Sabi describes a Japanese aesthetic of art and living.

One of the best explanations I have seen for the term is:

“Wabi is a feeling of loneliness or solitude, reflecting a sense of nonattachment and appreciation for the spontaneous unfolding of circumstances. It is like the quiet that comes from a winter snowfall, where all the sounds are hushed and stillness envelops everything. Sabi is the suchness of ordinary objects, the basic, unmistakable uniqueness of a thing in and of itself.”
From ” The Zen of Creativity”
John Daido Loori

A few years ago a large number of my images were chosen by a client to be hung in an upscale hotel. While I was printing the images I marveled at how the image choices seemed to have picked up a theme that ran through my images. This was not a theme that I was aware of as I was creating the photographs in the field. I was so fascinated that my client had seen this thread that ran through my imagery that I was unaware of, that I couldn’t resist writing her and telling her how much I appreciated her “getting it”.

Her response was “I love your work it is so Wabi-Sabi!” I immediately began researching on the internet and at bookstores. I ended up reading and learning about a Japanese aesthetic which had permeated my fine art photography for years without even being aware of it.

There is a nice article about Byron Jorjorian Photography and interview with me on Paula Grace Designs’ Blog. To view it click HERE