The Inner Path of Photography

August 17, 2009

“Introduction to the Inner Path of Photography”, Saturday, August 22, 2009

This will be a really interesting class…an “appetizer” for the intensive “Inner Path of Photography” 4-week seminar that will held in September…register now!

“Introduction to the Inner Path of Photography”
Saturday, August 22, 1:00 – 4:00 PM (location to be sent upon registration, Houston, Texas, Montrose area)
Fee $45.00. This class requires pre-registration by Wednesday, August 19th. If space is available, drop-in fee is $60.00.

For photographers as well as spiritual seekers, this afternoon seminar will give participants a “taste” of the 4 week intensive seminar that I’ll be offering in the fall.

In the tradition of the famous photographer Minor White, this class is for those who want to explore more deeply the intuitive, mystical part of photography, and through this process, improve their photography as well as discover more about themselves.

Instead of worrying about aperture, using the right lens, or having correct composition, you’ll begin to learn about resonance, inner knowing, how you make choices, and what keeps you from “taking the shot”…in photography and in life.

Apply what you learn to your photographic process and become a better photographer; apply it to your life process and create a better life. All that is required for this intro class is your curiosity, openness, and a camera.

To register for “Introduction to the Inner Path of Photography” or for further information, please contact me at heidi@straubephoto or through the Contact Heidi section of my website, or 713.521.1676.

August 3, 2009

Workshop this Saturday the 8th…”Envision Your Life: Create a Vision Board and See Your Life Unfold”

Hi, here’s a new class! If you’re in Houston, come and have fun…

“Envision Your Life: Create a Vision Board and Watch Your Life Unfold”
Saturday, August 8, 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM
Guru Ram Das Ashram, 1120 Jackson Blvd, Houston, TX 77010.
Fee $35.00
Bring poster board of any size and color, scissors, magazines, glue stick

Vision boards are a physical reflection of what your inner self desires. Through the use of images, you become aware of what you want in your life and what is possible.

You’ll do some yoga, meditate, connect with your inner knowing, and then let your intuition lead you to the images that you resonate with. You’ll have fun arranging and glueing the images onto poster board (artfully or not, it doesn’t matter!) and then be amazed to see what inspires, surprises, and makes you happy.

Class ends with techniques of how to use your vision board to remind you of what’s important, and next steps to bring that into your life. This Saturday morning workshop is fun and light, while bringing you powerful results. No artistic experience required 🙂

To register for “Envision Your Life,” or for further information, please contact me through e-mail, hs@heidistraube.com or 713.521.1676.

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August 2, 2009

Did You Know…(MFAH Sculpture Garden)

…that the sculpture garden at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston (MFAH) is open every night until 10 PM?

And that there are new cafe tables and chairs, so you can read, write, or picnic with your friends and family in the beauty of the garden?

One of Houston’s hidden treasures — and there was even a nice breeze tonight.

Moonlight conversations, anyone?

July 29, 2009

Impermanence and the photographer’s experience

“Mr. Cunningham often spoke and wrote movingly about the nature of dance and would laugh about its maddening impermanence. “You have to love dancing to stick to it,” he once wrote. “It gives you nothing back, no manuscripts to store away, no paintings to show on walls and maybe hang in museums, no poems to be printed and sold, nothing but that single fleeting moment when you feel alive.”

(Quote from NY Times, Alistair Macaulay, “Merce Cunningham, Dance Visionary, Dies,” July 27, 2009)
(Bolding added by Heidi)

Yes, this is how I feel in the middle of shooting photographs, when all comes together, no mind, no planning, just being…me and the camera and all around me as one…and that is why I feel alive after a photo shoot, whether it be commercial, personal work, or casual family and friends.
Wouldn’t our lives be much better also if we could transfer this experience to each moment of our day…

Those who practice Buddhism are already aware of this approach to life…but one doesn’t have to be a Buddhist in order to live in this manner. The act of taking photographs is a spiritual practice in itself, as one connects with inner resonance and truth, and expresses it in the outer finished photograph.

The essence of shooting is an immersion in the joy of impermanence….where nothing else matters but now…and now…and now…timelessness and total feeling alive at the same moment.