Walks to the Vondelpark

We have found our way to the Vondelpark, K. and I. I live so close by that it surprised him and since the weather has been really good the past two weeks we've frequented the park on warm evenings and sunny afternoons.

K. became so enthusiastic about my kind of photography that he decided to buy a camera himself so that he could walk around with it and look. He found moments of happiness in wondering with a blank mind, open eyes, a clear perception and coming home with a few photographs.

I recognize the feeling: that is what it brings me too. Accept for investing in a camera, perceptions are for free and at the same time they are priceless. Ordinary magic, seeing the magic in everyday life is what still surprises after a couple of years of practicing contemplative photography.

K. went to the Botanical Gardens twice, the first time he saw the tips of branches touching the water and when he wanted to photograph it the battery of his camera was dead. When he came back the second time he saw that it was not the same, the wind had changed, the colour of the water was different and he didn't have the same experience as the first time. So in the end he didn't take the picture.

I recognize that too. Moments are so about being in the now, they can't be reproduced. Five seconds later, an hour, a day, even if it has changed for the slightest bit, it is no longer what I perceived the first time. The moment is gone.

Do you have those kind of moments?