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Step Back to Go Forward
By Ken Luallen | August 29, 2009
I took three months off from posting images this summer because I wanted to concentrate on reinventing myself. As much as my work has touched my subjects (and me), I’ve always felt I could go deeper – revealing stronger personal connections with simpler, cleaner images. It’s been an incredibly rewarding process with all of my recently wed friends. I’ll get caught up on them soon.
On the boring technical side I switched to an entirely new set of photographic tools, Zeiss lenses. These mechanical masterpieces require manual focusing and aperture stopping, obsolete steps in the digital age. Yet the precision of Zeiss glass has allowed me to reach a level of color quality and clarity beyond anything I’ve been able to attain with mainstream lenses. Even better, returning the photograph-making process to a more handmade craft has allowed me to be far more present mentally and better-connected to my couples while shooting. It’s funny how sometimes the easiest way to write something meaningful is with a pencil.
On the more interesting side I’ve been studying Soto Zen, digging into the writings of Shunryu Suzuki and Dogen Zenji, modern and historical masters respectively. I believe strongly that artistic development (how to speak) and personal growth (having something to say) are intertwined, so I’ve spent a lot of time trying to better understand and embrace harmony, unguarded love, and a peaceful state. Those are the core elements of my photographs and Zen enlightenment very much enhances one’s awareness of them. The more I improve at living a lifestyle based on these principles the more I can reveal them in photographs. I’ll talk more about Zen in the future – for now, images are enough.
Here are Brian and Laura during their beautiful vineyard wedding in Winston-Salem, NC.
Ken, So glad you are back, can’t wait to read your blog and view your wonderful photographs…All The Best, laura
Welcome back. Can’t wait to see what you have in store for us.
Ken,
These images are beautiful but what you have to say about their creation makes them even more beautiful! Thanks for such an inspiring blog post!
Beth
Beautiful work and words Ken.