I got a new camera. A fancy DSLR camera. Truth? I have no idea how to use it. I mean, I can shoot in auto mode, but anything beyond that I'm lost. I am excited by this. A chance to be a beginner. So often, I feel pressure to be good, to be the best, to be flawless. This pressure is exhausting, but also oppressive. It does not allow things to live, to expand, and to transform. So, I'm a beginner. I am hoping that the practice of being a photography beginner will help me to generalize the "beginner mind" to other parts of my life. I read somewhere, "expectations are disappointments in disguise". Anne Lamott says, "expectations are resentments under construction". Being a beginner is, in part, managing expectations. Being a beginner means that mistakes are going to happen, are normal, and part of the process. Being a beginner means trusting and respecting the process.
A couple pics taken from my beginner place:
