Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory (ELT) provides a meaningful conceptual foundation for Vernon Chalmers’ Conscious Intelligence (CI) Photography Theory, particularly in its emphasis on experience, reflection, conceptualisation, and experimentation.
"Conscious Intelligence (CI) Photography Theory, developed by Vernon Chalmers, integrates phenomenology, embodied cognition, and subjective awareness into a unified model of photographic experience. One of the less explicitly discussed but deeply formative influences on CI theory is David Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory (ELT). Although CI Photography Theory extends beyond cognitive-cycle models of learning, its emphasis on iteration, embodied awareness, reflective integration, and adaptive transformation echoes - and meaningfully evolves - Kolb’s framework. This essay examines the philosophical and practical intersections between Kolb’s ELT and Chalmers’ CI approach, exploring how Kolbian concepts such as concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualisation, and active experimentation manifest within CI Photography. Through analysis of Chalmers’ writings, photographic methodology, and pedagogical philosophy, this paper argues that Kolb’s ELT contributes to CI’s understanding of perceptual learning, photographer–environment coupling, and the development of photographic consciousness. The discussion demonstrates how CI theory reinterprets Kolb’s cycle as a non-linear, phenomenological process that operates simultaneously across cognitive, affective, and embodied layers. Implications for photographic training, contemplative practice, and creative growth are discussed.
IntroductionVernon Chalmers’ Conscious Intelligence (CI) Photography Theory represents an emerging philosophical and practical framework for understanding photographic experience as an integrative form of consciousness. Rooted in phenomenology, cognitive science, and embodied perception, CI posits that photography is not merely a technical act but a dynamic system of awareness that unfolds between the photographer, the camera, and the environment. Yet, while CI theory is often discussed in relation to phenomenology and embodied cognition, one of its foundational conceptual substrates can be traced to David Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory (ELT). Kolb’s model, developed in the 1980s, conceptualises learning as a cyclical process whereby concrete experience is transformed through reflection, conceptualisation, and experimentation (Kolb, 1984). This experiential model resonates strongly with the cyclical, iterative, and reflective processes Chalmers emphasises in photographic practice.
The purpose of this essay is to examine how Kolb’s ELT influences Chalmers’ CI Photography Theory and how CI extends and reshapes Kolb’s concepts within a perceptual and creative context. While CI theory is not a derivative of ELT, the theoretical and methodological parallels suggest a meaningful lineage. Both frameworks focus on experience as the primary catalyst for learning; both emphasise the importance of reflection, iteration, and adaptation; and both regard the practitioner as an embodied agent interacting dynamically with their environment. For Chalmers, these themes manifest most clearly in his descriptions of the photographer’s iterative movement between perceiving, interpreting, adjusting, and creatively responding - processes that align closely with ELT’s four-stage cycle.
This essay begins with an overview of Kolb’s experiential learning model, followed by an outline of Chalmers’ CI Photography Theory. It then examines specific intersections between the two frameworks, emphasising the way CI adapts Kolb’s cycle to accommodate embodied perception, attentional awareness, and subjective photographic consciousness. The discussion ultimately argues that CI Theory represents an expanded experiential learning paradigm, one that infuses Kolb’s cognitive cycle with phenomenological depth and creative intentionality.
Kolb’s Experiential Learning TheoryKolb’s Experiential Learning Theory (ELT) emerged from humanistic psychology and constructivist educational theory. Influenced by thinkers such as Dewey, Lewin, and Piaget, Kolb (1984) argued that learning is fundamentally rooted in experience and that knowledge is continuously shaped through a cyclic, adaptive process. His model consists of four stages:
1. Concrete Experience (CE) – engaging directly with an event or situation
2. Reflective Observation (RO) – observing and reflecting upon that experience
3. Abstract Conceptualisation (AC) – forming theories, principles, or mental models
4. Active Experimentation (AE) – applying those concepts to new situations
This cycle is dynamic rather than linear. Learners move fluidly across the stages based on context, needs, and personal learning styles. Kolb also identified learning orientations such as diverging, converging, assimilating, and accommodating, representing different preferences for engaging with the stages.
Kolb’s emphasis on embodied experience and reflective integration was innovative for its time. Yet ELT remains strongly cognitive in its structure, focusing on how individuals transform experience into knowledge. While Kolb acknowledged the role of emotions and embodied engagement, the model is primarily concerned with cognitive learning processes.
Nevertheless, ELT has been widely adopted across fields that involve skill acquisition, reflective practice, and creative development - including arts education, design, and performance. In photography, Kolb’s cycle has clear relevance: the photographer engages in concrete experience through fieldwork, reflects on results, conceptualises principles, and experiments with new techniques. Chalmers’ CI Theory builds upon these dynamics but expands them into a deeper framework of conscious awareness.
Overview of Chalmers’ Conscious Intelligence (CI) Photography TheoryConscious Intelligence (CI) Photography Theory conceptualises photography as a dynamic interplay among perception, environment, cognition, and embodiment. Chalmers emphasises that photography is not simply a mechanical act of capturing images but a conscious engagement that integrates attention, bodily awareness, emotional resonance, and cognitive interpretation. CI is grounded in several philosophical and scientific foundations:
- Phenomenology, particularly Merleau-Ponty’s notion of embodied perception
- Embodied cognition, describing how the body shapes thought and awareness
- Subjective experience, drawing on introspective and experiential traditions
- Ecological psychology, particularly perception–action coupling
- Creativity and reflective practice, emphasising continuous learning
For Chalmers, CI describes a spectrum of conscious processes that occur before, during, and after photographic engagement. It integrates intuition, technical fluency, emotional attunement, and reflective analysis into a fluid model of photographic awareness. In this sense, CI extends beyond traditional photographic learning models by foregrounding subjective experience and lived perception.
One of the clearest parallels between CI and Kolb’s model is CI’s emphasis on cyclical learning. Chalmers often describes the photographer’s development as an iterative loop of practice, observation, adaptation, and integrated awareness - echoing Kolb’s experiential cycle but expanding it through embodied and phenomenological dimensions.
Kolb’s Influence on CI: Points of Convergence1. Experience as the Foundation of Learning
Kolb’s ELT begins with concrete experience as the catalyst for learning. Chalmers adopts this foundational principle, emphasising that photographers learn most deeply through direct, embodied engagement with the field environment. For example, in Birds-in-Flight (BIF) photography - central to Chalmers’ artistic practice - the photographer must continuously adjust to wind, light, motion, and environmental cues. This engagement represents not only Kolb’s concrete experience but also the phenomenological immersion CI describes.
In CI, experience is not merely the starting point but the medium through which consciousness evolves. The photographer becomes attuned to subtle environmental patterns, emotional responses, and perceptual cues. Thus, while Kolb treats experience as the first stage of a cycle, CI treats experience as a continuous field of conscious attunement.
2. Reflective Observation as Conscious Awareness
Kolb’s second stage, reflective observation, resonates strongly with CI’s emphasis on reflective awareness. Chalmers views reflection not only as technical evaluation but as introspective consciousness - observing one’s perceptual habits, emotional states, attentional focus, and bodily responses.
In CI, reflection occurs both in the moment (micro-reflection) and after the fact (macro-reflection). Micro-reflections include momentary adjustments - e.g., noticing how one’s grip on the camera influences stability or recognising how stress narrows perceptual awareness. Macro-reflections occur during image review, long-term growth, and conceptual refinement. This dual form of reflection aligns with Kolb yet expands the scope of reflective observation into conscious self-awareness.
3. Conceptualisation as Integrated Understanding
Kolb’s third stage, abstract conceptualisation, involves forming principles or mental models based on reflection. In CI, conceptualisation includes the development of both technical knowledge (e.g., shutter speed principles) and subjective frameworks (e.g., understanding how personal emotional states influence perception).
Chalmers emphasises that CI conceptualisation is integrative rather than purely cognitive—it synthesises sensory impressions, emotional tone, situational context, and intuitive understanding. This holistic conceptualisation expands Kolb’s model by incorporating embodied cognition and phenomenological sense-making.
4. Experimentation as Creative and Embodied Practice
Kolb’s final stage, active experimentation, aligns closely with CI’s emphasis on iterative practice and adaptive experimentation. In CI Photography, experimentation is not limited to applying conceptual knowledge but includes adjusting bodily posture, shifting attentional strategies, exploring emotional resonance, and testing alternative perceptual approaches.
CI treats experimentation as a creative dialogue with the environment. The photographer becomes attuned to emergent possibilities rather than rigidly applying techniques. This creative experimentation echoes Kolb’s model but situates it within a dynamic ecology of perception and consciousness.
While Kolb’s ELT provides a useful framework for understanding experiential learning, CI Theory expands it in several key ways:
1. Embodied Cognition and Perception
Kolb acknowledged the role of emotion and embodiment, but ELT remains fundamentally cognitive. Chalmers, influenced by phenomenology, treats embodiment as central to photographic experience. The camera becomes an extension of the body; perception is shaped by bodily awareness; and consciousness arises through a corporeal relationship with the environment. This embodied dimension is largely absent in Kolb’s model.
2. Non-Linear Learning Cycles
Kolb’s cycle is dynamic but structured. CI argues that experiential learning in photography is non-linear, recursive, and often simultaneous across domains. A photographer may reflect while experimenting, conceptualise during experience, or perceive anew during reflection. CI thus challenges the sequential nature of Kolb’s cycle.
3. Subjective and Affective Dimensions
CI incorporates emotion, mood, and subjective meaning as essential elements of photographic learning. Kolb acknowledges emotions but does not deeply integrate affective consciousness into his theoretical structure. CI elevates affective experience to a central position, recognising its influence on perception, intuition, and creative intention.
4. Conscious Intelligence as Emergent Awareness
Kolb focuses on transforming experience into knowledge. CI focuses on transforming experience into conscious intelligence - a broader category that includes perception, intuition, self-awareness, and environmental attunement. This moves beyond Kolb’s cognitive framing into a phenomenological domain.
The intersection of Kolb’s ELT and CI Theory becomes particularly evident in photographic training. Chalmers’ pedagogical approach emphasises:
- experiential fieldwork (concrete experience)
- guided reflection and critique (reflective observation)
- principles of technique and perception (conceptualisation)
- iterative shooting exercises (active experimentation)
Yet Chalmers also emphasises subjective awareness, contemplative engagement, and embodied attunement - elements not explicitly present in Kolb. As a result, CI-informed training encourages photographers to develop not only skill but consciousness, aligning technical mastery with perceptual intelligence.
Vernon Chalmers Conscious Intelligence Theory IndexKolb’s Experiential Learning Theory provides a meaningful conceptual foundation for Vernon Chalmers’ Conscious Intelligence (CI) Photography Theory, particularly in its emphasis on experience, reflection, conceptualisation, and experimentation. While CI expands beyond Kolb’s cognitive framework into the realms of phenomenology, embodied cognition, and subjective awareness, the experiential cycle remains a deeply influential structure within CI’s understanding of photographic learning. Ultimately, CI represents an evolved experiential model that integrates cognition, perception, embodiment, and creative consciousness - offering a nuanced understanding of how photographers learn, perceive, and express." (Source: ChatGPT 2025)
ReferencesChalmers, V. (2025). Writings on Conscious Intelligence and Photography. Vernon Chalmers Photography.
Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. Prentice Hall.
Merleau-Ponty, M. (1962). Phenomenology of perception. Routledge.
Varela, F., Thompson, E., & Rosch, E. (1991). The embodied mind: Cognitive science and human experience. MIT Press.
