One of the best ways to expand our attention's capacity is to study photographs. Often we miss important and meaningful details in the flow of sights passing before our eyes. Photography fixes an image — stops the world — so that we have time to notice what we might not have noticed before. Seeing what has previously been "invisible" to us is an essential part of the spiritual life.
Each book in the A Day in the Life . . . series presents photographs taken by an international team of photographers during a 24-hour period in one country (America, Australia, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Soviet Union, and others). Looking at these pictures, ask yourself, "What detail here caught the photographer's eye?"
To expand this exercise, take a camera with you for a day and practice framing pictures through the lens. It is not necessary to put film in the camera to have it act as an aid to your attention. If you do use film, however, take time after you get it developed to study your pictures. What did your camera's eye pick up? Think of your photographs as mirrors of your attention.
More Art Resources about Attention
