19 January 2025

Vernon Chalmers Photography Existential Motivation

Photography as Existential Motivation: Awareness and Resources

Bird Photography with Canon EOS R6 / RF 800mm f/11 STM Lens Vernon Chalmers Copyright
Perched Bird Photography with Canon EOS R6 / RF 800mm f/11 STM Lens

"An active life serves the purpose of giving man the opportunity to realize values in creative work, while a passive life of enjoyment affords him the opportunity to obtain fulfillment in experiencing beauty, art, or nature." ― Viktor Frankl

Photography as Existential Motivation

"Vernon Chalmers, a South African photographer specializing in wildlife and bird photography, captures images that can indeed be viewed through the lens of existential motivation.

His focus on nature, particularly birds in motion, presents an interesting connection to existential themes of existence, time, and the search for meaning. Here’s how his work could reflect existential motivation:

1. Connection to Nature and the Human Condition:
  • Contemplation of Existence: Through his wildlife photography, Chalmers captures moments in the natural world that provoke reflection on life’s transience and the human connection to nature. Existentialism thought often grapples with the idea of humans being part of a larger, indifferent universe. Chalmers' work emphasizes the beauty and vitality of non-human life, inviting viewers to contemplate their own existence within the grander scheme of things.
  • Focus on the Present Moment: Existentialism emphasizes living authentically and finding meaning in the present. Chalmers’ images of birds in flight or animals in their natural habitat capture fleeting moments, mirroring the existential idea that meaning is found in the here and now.

2. The Temporality of Life:
  • Ephemeral Nature of Existence: Wildlife photography, especially when it involves capturing animals in motion, mirrors the existential concern with the passage of time. Just as a bird in flight is momentary, human life is equally fleeting. Chalmers’ ability to freeze these moments allows for reflection on the temporality of existence, a core theme in existential philosophy.

  • Documentation of Change: By documenting the behavior of birds over time, Chalmers creates a visual record of change and impermanence - key aspects of the existential journey, where life is seen as a constant process of becoming rather than being fixed.

3. Authenticity and Raw Beauty:
  • Living Authentically in Nature: Existentialism often emphasizes living authentically, free from societal pressures and expectations. Chalmers’ nature photography, which showcases animals in their natural and unaltered environments, embodies this authenticity. His subjects are unburdened by human constructs, living in alignment with their true nature, offering a parallel to existentialists' search for authentic existence.

  • Minimalism and Focus: Chalmers’ work often centers on a simple yet profound subject -like a single bird in flight - which mirrors the existentialist call to strip away distractions and focus on what is essential.

4. Meaning in Observation:
  • Finding Meaning in the Mundane: Existential philosophers like Camus argue that humans can find meaning in the small, everyday details of life. Chalmers’ attention to birds and wildlife, often overlooked in daily life, highlights how careful observation of the natural world can lead to a deeper appreciation for existence itself.

  • Subjective Experience: Photography, especially in the wild, is inherently subjective - what the photographer chooses to focus on becomes a statement about their worldview. In existentialism, each person creates their own meaning through individual choices, and Chalmers’ photography exemplifies this idea by choosing specific moments in nature to highlight, thereby constructing a narrative of existence.

5. Freedom and Creation of Meaning:
  • Radical Freedom in Photography: Existentialists, like Sartre, believe that individuals are free to create meaning in a world that doesn’t inherently provide it. Through his photography, Chalmers exercises this freedom, choosing to highlight the beauty and intricacies of wildlife as a way to infuse meaning into his work and the viewer's experience.

  • Existential Reflection through Art: By capturing the unpredictability and freedom of birds in motion, Chalmers’ photography can serve as a reflection on human freedom and the responsibility to live a meaningful life in the face of uncertainty.

6. Nature as a Reflection of Life's Fragility and Beauty:

  • In Viktor Frankl’s existential framework, life’s impermanence is not something to fear but something to embrace as part of the human experience. Chalmers’ photography of birds, which are often fleeting and elusive, is a visual metaphor for this very idea. 

  • Birds in flight represent the transient nature of existence, where each moment is precious, fleeting, and full of beauty. Capturing these moments through photography is akin to acknowledging life’s impermanence and yet finding meaning within it—a core tenet of Frankl’s philosophy.

Through his images, Chalmers provides more than just visual appreciation; he presents nature as a mirror to self-reflection, encouraging viewers to confront questions about their place in the world, the temporality of life, and the search for meaning. The intense focus required for capturing birds in motion, for instance, can serve as a metaphor for grasping the "now" and aligning with purpose, a concept resonant with existential thinkers who suggest finding meaning through action and presence.

In summary, Vernon Chalmers’ photography, particularly his focus on capturing wildlife in its natural state, resonates with existential themes of freedom, authenticity, the passage of time, and the search for meaning in fleeting moments. His work invites viewers to reflect on their relationship with nature and the broader questions of existence..." (Source: ChatCPT 2024)

Grey Heron in Flight : Canon EOS 7D Mark II / 400mm lens Copyright Vernon Chalmers
Grey Heron in Flight : Canon EOS 7D Mark II / 400mm lens

Existential Motivation Poem by ChatGPT

Here’s a poem directly inspired by Vernon Chalmers' existential motivation as a photographer and his ability to capture meaning in fleeting moments:

Through Chalmers’ Lens

In the quiet dawn where shadows wake,
A lens turns inward for life’s sake.
The ebb and flow of tidal streams,
Mirror the pull of human dreams.

Each frame a whisper, a soft appeal,
To grasp the truths we fear to feel.
A heron poised, its wings outstretched,
Speaks of journeys yet unsketched.

What is the meaning in light’s embrace?
The fleeting dance of time and space?
Chalmers captures, yet does not bind

Photography as Existential Motivation

The concept of photography as existential motivation explores how capturing moments through the lens can connect us to the deeper aspects of existence. It taps into themes of identity, time, mortality, and meaning—central concerns in existential philosophy. Here's how these ideas might intersect:


1. Photography as a Means of Capturing Existence:
  • Preserving Fleeting Moments: Existentialism grapples with the impermanence of life. Photography allows individuals to freeze a moment in time, a way to fight against the ephemerality that existentialists like Jean-Paul Sartre and Martin Heidegger spoke about.

  • Confrontation with Mortality: Each photograph is a reminder that the moment has passed and is unrecoverable. This acknowledgment of temporality can lead to existential reflection, pushing individuals to seek meaning in the present.

2. Authenticity and Self-Expression:
  • The "Authentic Self": Existentialist philosophers such as Sartre emphasized living authentically, free from societal conventions. Photography can serve as a form of personal expression, allowing photographers to explore and express their authentic vision of the world.
  • Subjectivity and Perspective: Every photograph reflects the subjective choices of the photographer—what they focus on, what they exclude, how they frame reality. This subjectivity aligns with existentialist views of creating personal meaning in an indifferent universe.

3. Alienation and the Gaze:
  • Feeling Alienated from the World: Existentialists often wrote about the feeling of being "thrown" into a world that is indifferent to human existence. Photography, especially street or candid photography, can capture this alienation, documenting the disconnection between individuals and their environment.

  • The Gaze of the Other: Sartre’s concept of "the gaze" describes the way we become aware of ourselves through how others see us. In photography, especially portraiture, this dynamic is physically represented. The act of being photographed can evoke self-consciousness and the existential tension between how we see ourselves and how others see us.

4. Creating Meaning through Art:
  • Confronting Absurdity: In a world without inherent meaning (as existentialists like Albert Camus suggested), art becomes a way of imposing order or significance. Photography, then, serves as a tool to create meaning in an otherwise indifferent universe.

  • Capturing the Everyday: Many existentialists find meaning in the ordinary or mundane aspects of life. Photography often elevates these ordinary moments, showing that even the simplest scenes can hold significance when examined closely.
5. Photography as a Reflection of Freedom and Choice:
  • Freedom and Responsibility: Existentialism emphasizes human freedom and the responsibility to create meaning in one's life. Each photograph represents a choice—a selection of what to focus on, what story to tell. This echoes the existentialist belief in radical freedom, the idea that we are always making choices about how to live and what to prioritize.

  • Existential Anxiety and Photography: The act of photography can provoke existential anxiety, as it reminds us of the multitude of choices available and the uncertainty of how to capture the "right" moment. This reflects the broader existential challenge of making meaningful choices in life.

In summary, photography as existential motivation suggests that through the camera, individuals confront the temporal, alienated, and often absurd aspects of existence. Yet, it also provides a means to create and express personal meaning, grounding the individual in a deeply subjective yet powerful engagement with life. (Source: ChatGPT)"

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Swift Tern Woodbridge Island Copyright Vernon Chalmers
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All Birds in Flight Images: Copyright Vernon Chalmers Woodbridge Island