Photowalk: Wabi-Sabi in the Natural History Museum

THEME: Wabi-Sabi is a Japanese concept often translated to the "art of imperfection". It represents a philosophy of gracefully accepting the natural imperfections in the world and in ourselves. What if we take this idea to the extreme and suggest that imperfection ADDS richness to our experience of life? We may find in photography that a model posing in a perfectly-lit studio may not engage us as much as a curious person walking a rustic path, despite the messiness, flaws and fragility we can see. In this Meetup, we will experiment with adding creative and technical imperfections to our images such as noise, blur, overexposure, flare, lack of contrast, unusual framing ... and see what happens!

PURPOSE: In every Meetup, we entertain a different philosophical thought to inspire our photography. This is to heighten our awareness and experiment with different ways of looking at the world.

SCHEDULE:
*Please come 5-10min early so we can start together on time.
11:00 - Mindfulness Exercises
11:30 - Storytelling & Photowalk
12:30 - Sharing experiences & Images
13:00 - Optional Lunch. Bring your own / Cafe in the Museum

There is a Wildlife Photography Exhibition at the museum, which you may want to visit afterwards. Bookings: http://www.nhm.ac.uk/visit/exhibitions/wildlife-photographer-of-the-year-53.html

LOCATION:
Go through security and in front of you there is a blue whale. Towards the back of the whale, there are some stairs. Look for people with cameras there! Once we start we can move in and out of the museum for photographs. Ironically, the museum represents the opposite of Wabi-Sabi, celebrating classical ideas of beauty in perfect symmetry, grandeur and timelessness.

INSPIRATION:
History of Ideas: Wabi-Sabi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmHLYhxYVjA

PLEASE BRING:

• Camera / Phone Camera - don't forget to charge it!
• Thoughts on Wabi-Sabi (reflections, poems, quotes are all welcome)
• Notebook and Pen to jot down some ideas

MAILING LIST:
You might want to sign up for our monthly letters of inspiration for your mindful playful photography. https://wearejustlooking.org/letters

COST:
After covering the cost of running the event (Meetup admin fees, and some printed prompts we'll be using) all the money we raise will be our group donation to Young Minds: a great mental health charity in the UK. https://youngminds.org.uk/