By Vics Magsaysay
“...The ten thousand things carry yin and embrace yang.
They achieve harmony by combining these forces…”
--Lao Tzu
“Imagination is more important than knowledge,” says one of the greatest minds of all time, Albert Einstein. Three decades ago, before I embarked on a trip, I automatically imagined myself opening the gate of the house and feeling the wonderful and safe trip that I “had.” The same thing happened with all of my travel jaunts to compile stock shots of color slides of Philippine sceneries and people. Before my motorcycle moved more than a hundred yards from our gate, I “saw” myself in the comfort of the living room and contentedly viewed the awesome photographs that came out of the successful travel that was “about to unfold.”
Just recently, the book and movie The Secret became a sensational hit. It’s all about the law of attraction. The authors speak of the power of our mind and its ability to create our own reality. Our lives have been molded by our thinking—and non-thinking. The thoughts we project are responsible for the people we attract in our lives. I remember when I was on my way to Japan, upon showing the ticket in the airline counter, the attendant checked it and then handed me my boarding ticket. To my surprise, what was given me was an aisle seat instead of the one near the window. Being a nature photographer I always have a camera beside me just in case there’s a nice cloud formation or scenes outside the plane to shoot. Was it the fault of the attendant? Nope! It was my fault. I didn’t let her know what I wanted in advance so the law of average operated on my account that time. It’s the same thing with life; if we don’t plan or do anything, we are allowing the law of average to take effect. Webster’s dictionary defines Tao (pronounced “dào”) or “the way” as the central or organizing principle of the universe, moral life, etc. It also has an underlying influence in Chinese lives. Furthermore, it is the governing creative principle of an art, craft or other purposeful activity. It’s been said that the Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao. Lao Tzu, an older contemporary of Confucius, was persuaded to write down his teaching in the classic Tao Te Ching for posterity. To achieve harmony Lao Tzu admonished the importance of balance between yin and yang.
When we talk about photography, what comes to mind is the technical part—the aperture, speed, white balance, ISO, the lens, etc. To others it may look as if it’s nothing but technicalities. Little do we know that the non-technical aspect—creativity—equally plays an essential role to bring about harmony or beauty in a print. This is the yin or the passive part while the technical aspect is the yang or assertive part. Similarly, the subconscious or the creative mind is the yin and the conscious or analytical mind, the yang. To tap the power of our creative mind we have to relax and sort of “merge” with our subject. Photographers call this rapport—it is actually being in tune or in synch with your subject. What makes it easier is when we have this love and respect for our subject. Isn’t it when we are in love with a person, he or she is the only focus we have in mind…and everything completely becomes irrelevant? Even in nature photography, this love and respect are the basic ingredients of activating the law of attraction. Ansel Adams famous photograph of that moonlight in Hernandez, New Mexico was not taken by chance. There’s no coincidence to begin with. The master photographer was simply there at exactly the right time and at the right place. Why? Again, it’s the law of attraction at work. I do believe the Tao or “the way” has brought him to the scene because of his consciousness.
We are all too familiar with the saying, “To see is to believe.” The opposite—to believe is to see—proves to be more beneficial in my theory and observations. During my first visit in America in 1991, our family planned a two-week trip starting from California to Grand Canyon in Arizona and all the way up to Montana, to Washington and back south. Everything was all planned but it was late December and there was a heavy snowfall in the areas we were going. Making matter worse was the fact that there was a storm surging in the Northwest. Our relatives and friends were all unanimous in telling us not to go—it was wrong timing. I believed them because that was their reality. My reality that time was different: We were out there for a pleasant and exciting journey. As usual, I could “see” in my mind’s eye that we were “back” home and talking to the members of the family how great our travel was. Sure enough, every time we passed each State, it was sunny and our trip was not spoiled due to closed highways toward our destination. There were many instances that when I took shots of the sceneries we were there at the right time and the right place. Just like that boarding pass, in my recent trip, I got the seat near the window because I “told” the attendant, my subconscious mind, what I really wanted. In life, to get what we want, we have to basically know first what we want. We are all responsible for whatever we do in our lives. No one is to blame but us. Mea culpa; it’s my fault. Also, it’s “the way” of releasing us from resentment, anger, hatred or fear that is essentially the cause of many illnesses. If it’s got to be, it’s up to me.
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Published with permission: Vics Magsaysay
Website: www.yessy.com/vicsmagsaysay
Email: vicsmag@yahoo.com)
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Copyright 2007: Vics Magsaysay This material may not be published, rewritten, broadcast or redistributed unless with written permission from the author.