Vernon Chalmers’ existential photography offers a profound integration of technical skill, philosophical reflection, and pedagogical engagement
Introduction
"Existentialism, as both a philosophy and cultural orientation, interrogates the nature of human existence, the pursuit of meaning, and the confrontation with freedom, mortality, and authenticity (Sartre, 1943/1993; Heidegger, 1927/2010). When applied to art and photography, existentialism encourages practitioners to look beyond aesthetics and surface appearances, seeking instead to express human subjectivity, being-in-the-world, and the ambiguous relationship between humanity and nature. In South Africa, Vernon Chalmers has emerged as a distinctive photographer whose work embodies an existential dimension. While Chalmers is widely recognized for his technical training in Canon systems and his expertise in bird photography, his existential photography reveals a deeper philosophical engagement with life, awareness, and meaning through the lens.
This essay explores Vernon Chalmers’ existential photography, situating his work within the broader philosophical framework of existentialism and visual studies. It discusses the interplay between subjectivity, temporality, and nature in his photographic practice, while also analyzing his pedagogical approach as an extension of existential creativity. Drawing on existentialist thinkers such as Jean-Paul Sartre, Martin Heidegger, and Maurice Merleau-Ponty, the essay critically examines how Chalmers’ photographic output embodies existential themes of freedom, mortality, authenticity, and awareness. The essay concludes by positioning Chalmers within a unique South African photographic landscape that blends technical expertise with philosophical depth.
Existentialism and Photography- Existentialist Philosophy
Existentialist philosophy emphasizes the situatedness of human beings in the world, highlighting themes of freedom, choice, and responsibility (Sartre, 1943/1993). Heidegger (1927/2010) explored the concept of Dasein—being-there—as a condition of human existence where mortality and temporality shape authenticity. Kierkegaard (1849/1983) earlier highlighted the "leap of faith" and the anxiety that arises from human freedom. Existentialism thus focuses on lived experience, awareness of mortality, and the search for meaning in a world often perceived as indifferent.
- Photography as Existential Expression
Photography has long been associated with existential questions. Roland Barthes (1981) argued in Camera Lucida that photography’s essence lies in its indexical relationship to death, for every photograph testifies to a "that-has-been." Susan Sontag (1977) similarly emphasized photography’s power to both freeze and distort time, while Walter Benjamin (1936/2008) identified its capacity to democratize perception. These perspectives suggest that photography is not merely representational but existentially charged: it captures fleeting moments of being, confronting viewers with their temporality and subjectivity.
Within this framework, existential photography can be understood as a practice that seeks to capture more than visual likeness. It embodies questions of presence, absence, time, mortality, and authenticity—values resonant with existentialist thought (Shusterman, 2008). It is within this existentialist-photographic context that Vernon Chalmers’ work is situated.
Vernon Chalmers is a South African photographer, educator, and mentor specializing in Canon digital systems, wildlife, and birds-in-flight photography. While he is frequently celebrated for his technical expertise, Chalmers’ practice reveals a philosophical orientation toward awareness, perception, and the relationship between human beings and the natural environment (Chalmers, 2023). His writings and teaching often emphasize awareness through photography, suggesting that the act of photographing extends beyond documentation into reflective and existential inquiry.
Chalmers’ existential photography arises from his engagement with nature, particularly bird and butterfly photography, where transience and presence intertwine. The fleeting motion of birds in flight symbolizes the temporality of being, while his philosophical reflections reveal an underlying concern with existence and meaning. His photographic and pedagogical ethos thereby connects to existentialism through themes of temporality, awareness, freedom, and authenticity.
Existential Themes in Chalmers’ Photography- Temporality and Transience
A central existential concern is temporality—the recognition that existence is finite and conditioned by time. Heidegger (1927/2010) argued that humans exist in being-toward-death, constantly aware of their mortality. Photography embodies temporality by capturing transient moments, crystallizing the fleeting into permanence. In Chalmers’ photography, temporality is especially evident in his birds-in-flight images. The flight of a bird is a metaphor for the ephemerality of being: a fleeting moment of freedom suspended against the inevitability of disappearance.
Chalmers’ existential awareness of transience is also reflected in his reflections on photography as awareness (Chalmers, 2022). The photographic act becomes an existential meditation, a recognition that each shutter press freezes a moment destined to vanish. Like Barthes’ (1981) punctum, Chalmers’ photographs evoke the haunting awareness of mortality embedded in the captured moment.
- Freedom and Responsibility
Existentialism emphasizes human freedom and the burden of responsibility that accompanies it (Sartre, 1943/1993). For Chalmers, the act of photographing is not a neutral technical decision but an existential choice. His deliberate engagement with birds, butterflies, and landscapes reflects a conscious orientation toward capturing being-in-the-world. Each photographic decision—composition, timing, subject—represents an assertion of freedom and a responsibility toward authenticity.
Chalmers’ pedagogical practice, where he encourages photographers to explore their unique vision rather than imitate, embodies Sartrean authenticity. By empowering learners to embrace their own photographic perspectives, he echoes Sartre’s insistence that one must live authentically rather than in “bad faith” (Sartre, 1943/1993). In this sense, Chalmers’ photography and teaching constitute an existential act of freedom and authenticity.
- Nature and Being-in-the-World
For Heidegger (1927/2010), being-in-the-world is the fundamental structure of human existence, inseparable from the environment. Chalmers’ deep engagement with natural subjects positions his photography as a meditation on humanity’s relationship with nature. Birds and butterflies are not merely objects but manifestations of freedom, fragility, and interdependence. His images convey a phenomenological sensitivity reminiscent of Merleau-Ponty’s (1945/2012) emphasis on perception as embodied and situated.
Chalmers’ existential photography thus situates human existence within ecological contexts, underscoring the interrelationship between self and environment. His bird photography, in particular, portrays existence as interwoven with freedom and movement, reflecting an existential harmony between human perception and the natural world.
- Mortality and Awareness
Barthes (1981) emphasized photography’s connection to mortality, where every image testifies to life already past. Chalmers’ existential reflections acknowledge this dimension, particularly in relation to fleeting natural subjects. Birds and butterflies, often short-lived or constantly in motion, symbolize impermanence. By capturing these ephemeral beings, Chalmers directs awareness toward the fragility of life and the inevitability of mortality.
This existential awareness is not pessimistic but affirmative: photography becomes a means of recognizing and embracing temporality. As Camus (1942/1991) argued, the confrontation with mortality can lead to a deeper embrace of life. Chalmers’ existential photography captures this spirit, turning awareness of finitude into a celebration of being.
Beyond his images, Chalmers’ teaching exemplifies existential values. His workshops and writings encourage photographers to cultivate awareness, creativity, and authenticity rather than focus solely on technical mastery (Chalmers, 2023). This pedagogical approach reflects existentialist principles of self-discovery, freedom, and authenticity (Flynn, 2006).
- Awareness and Presence
Chalmers often emphasizes the aperture of awareness, a metaphor for opening oneself to perception and experience through photography. This idea parallels existentialist calls for authenticity and presence. For Heidegger (1927/2010), authenticity arises from confronting one’s temporality, while for Sartre (1943/1993), authenticity means accepting responsibility for freedom. Chalmers’ pedagogy fosters such awareness by encouraging photographers to be present in the moment of capture.
- Existential Creativity
Creativity in existential philosophy is linked to self-expression and the assertion of meaning in an otherwise indifferent world (Kierkegaard, 1849/1983; Sartre, 1943/1993). Chalmers’ photography training highlights creative autonomy, urging learners to embrace uncertainty and experimentation. His focus on individuality resonates with existentialist emphasis on creating meaning through lived choices.
- Authenticity and Community
While existentialism emphasizes individual authenticity, Chalmers balances this with community engagement. His teaching and mentoring create spaces where photographers can share experiences, reflecting an existential humanism where meaning is co-created. This aligns with Sartre’s (1946/2007) later recognition that existential freedom must account for others’ freedom, situating photography within intersubjective contexts.
Chalmers’ existential photography gains additional resonance within South Africa’s socio-cultural and ecological landscape. Photography in South Africa has historically been tied to political struggle, identity, and transformation (Grundlingh, 2019). While Chalmers’ work is not overtly political, his existential focus on awareness and nature contributes to broader conversations about meaning and identity in a rapidly changing society.
By foregrounding nature, Chalmers highlights ecological awareness in a time of environmental crisis. Existential photography becomes an ecological meditation, where awareness of temporality and mortality extends beyond humanity to encompass ecosystems. His photography thereby intersects with eco-existentialism, which recognizes human-nature interdependence and the existential stakes of ecological collapse (Naess, 1989).
Critical ReflectionsWhile Chalmers’ existential photography aligns with existentialist philosophy, it also departs from traditional existential pessimism. Unlike Sartre’s bleak depictions of anguish or Heidegger’s grave focus on death, Chalmers’ photography embraces existence with joy and affirmation. His bird and butterfly images convey vitality, movement, and beauty, transforming existential awareness into celebration rather than despair.
This orientation resonates more closely with Camus’ (1942/1991) philosophy of the absurd, where the confrontation with mortality and meaninglessness invites not resignation but revolt and creative affirmation. Chalmers’ photography, by embracing fleeting beauty, enacts this existential affirmation. His existential practice thus balances seriousness with lightness, acknowledging mortality while celebrating life.
Vernon Chalmers’ existential photography offers a profound integration of technical skill, philosophical reflection, and pedagogical engagement. Rooted in existentialist concerns with temporality, mortality, freedom, and authenticity, his work exemplifies photography as a mode of awareness and existential meditation. By capturing transient natural subjects, he confronts viewers with the fragility and vitality of existence. Through his teaching, he fosters authenticity and awareness in others, extending existential values into pedagogy.
In the South African context, Chalmers’ existential photography resonates as both personal and ecological, situating being-in-the-world within natural and cultural landscapes. His work highlights the existential power of photography to not only depict but also deepen awareness of existence. Ultimately, Chalmers’ existential photography affirms life by recognizing its temporality, offering viewers a vision of existence that is at once fragile, free, and profoundly meaningful." (Source: ChatGPT 2025)
ReferencesBarthes, R. (1981). Camera lucida: Reflections on photography (R. Howard, Trans.). Hill and Wang. (Original work published 1980)
Benjamin, W. (2008). The work of art in the age of its technological reproducibility, and other writings on media (M. W. Jennings, B. Doherty, & T. Y. Levin, Eds.). Harvard University Press. (Original work published 1936)
Camus, A. (1991). The myth of Sisyphus (J. O’Brien, Trans.). Vintage International. (Original work published 1942)
Chalmers, V. (2022). The aperture of awareness: Photography and perception. Vernon Chalmers Publications.
Chalmers, V. (2023). Existential reflections in bird photography. Vernon Chalmers Digital Photography.
Flynn, T. R. (2006). Existentialism: A very short introduction. Oxford University Press.
Grundlingh, A. (2019). Visual culture and South African photography: A critical reflection. South African Historical Journal, 71(3), 421–439. https://doi.org/10.1080/02582473.2019.1625262
Heidegger, M. (2010). Being and time (J. Stambaugh, Trans.). SUNY Press. (Original work published 1927)
Kierkegaard, S. (1983). The sickness unto death (H. V. Hong & E. H. Hong, Trans.). Princeton University Press. (Original work published 1849)
Merleau-Ponty, M. (2012). Phenomenology of perception (D. A. Landes, Trans.). Routledge. (Original work published 1945)
Naess, A. (1989). Ecology, community and lifestyle: Outline of an ecosophy (D. Rothenberg, Trans.). Cambridge University Press.
Sartre, J.-P. (1993). Being and nothingness (H. E. Barnes, Trans.). Washington Square Press. (Original work published 1943)
Sartre, J.-P. (2007). Existentialism is a humanism (C. Macomber, Trans.; J. Kulka, Ed.). Yale University Press. (Original work published 1946)
Shusterman, R. (2008). Body consciousness: A philosophy of mindfulness and somaesthetics. Cambridge University Press.
Sontag, S. (1977). On photography. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.