"This essay explores the philosophical and phenomenological underpinnings of Vernon Chalmers’ photography, focusing on his articulation of the “sense of self” as mediated through the act of image-making. Chalmers’ photographic practice, deeply rooted in phenomenology, existential philosophy, and the embodied experience of perception, extends beyond mere representation to an exploration of being, presence, and awareness. Through the lens of phenomenological theory, this paper examines how Chalmers’ photography constitutes a dialogical relationship between consciousness and world - one that reflects both the intentionality of perception and the existential authenticity of the self. Drawing on concepts from Husserl, Merleau-Ponty, Sartre, and contemporary photographic theory, the analysis positions Chalmers’ photographic sense of self as an embodied and reflective process where perception becomes both aesthetic and existential revelation.
1. Introduction: Photography as Self-World EncounterPhotography has long been an art form through which individuals negotiate their relationship to the world, memory, and identity. For South African photographer Vernon Chalmers, photography is not simply the mechanical act of image capture, but a phenomenological practice of self-awareness - a form of being-in-the-world that illuminates the very processes of consciousness. Chalmers’ philosophy of photography, grounded in observation and reflection, merges the technical precision of digital practice with a contemplative inquiry into the human condition. His work, often situated in the stillness of coastal landscapes or the dynamic movement of birds in flight, invites both photographer and viewer to engage in an act of mindful perception that reveals the self through seeing.
The “sense of self” in Chalmers’ photography thus emerges as a reciprocal process: the photographer perceives the world, yet in perceiving, becomes self-aware. This process aligns with phenomenological insights articulated by Edmund Husserl (1913/1982), who emphasized the intentional structure of consciousness 0 its directedness toward phenomena. In Chalmers’ photography, this intentionality becomes embodied through the act of perceiving light, texture, and temporal stillness, leading to an aesthetic form of self-understanding.
2. Phenomenology and the Intentionality of SeeingHusserl’s foundational concept of intentionality situates consciousness as always being consciousness of something (Husserl, 1982). For Chalmers, this notion resonates deeply with the practice of photography, where seeing is not passive observation but active engagement. The camera becomes an extension of the embodied subject, and the photograph a trace of lived intentionality.
In this sense, the photographic act reveals the “structure of perception” that phenomenology seeks to uncover. As Merleau-Ponty (1945/2012) observed, perception is not merely sensory reception but a bodily involvement with the world - a “communion” between perceiver and perceived. Chalmers’ images often foreground this embodied communion, particularly in his coastal and avian studies. His compositions, suffused with light and temporal delicacy, suggest an awareness of the self as both within and beyond the visual field - anchored in the here-and-now yet transcending it through reflection.
Phenomenologically, Chalmers’ photographs can be understood as intentional acts that capture the essence of perception itself. The image thus becomes a form of eidetic reduction - a reduction not of reality, but of distraction, enabling the photographer to encounter the pure phenomenon of seeing. In this way, the “sense of self” becomes intertwined with the sense of seeing: the self perceives itself in the act of perception.
3. The Existential Dimension: Presence, Authenticity, and FreedomThe existential dimensions of Chalmers’ photographic philosophy further illuminate his understanding of selfhood. Influenced by existential thinkers such as Jean-Paul Sartre and Martin Heidegger, Chalmers views photography as a confrontation with presence and temporality. In Sartrean terms, consciousness is not a fixed entity but a nothingness - a perpetual process of becoming (Sartre, 1943/2003). The self, therefore, is constituted through its projects and its freedom to define meaning.
Chalmers’ photographic work embodies this existential openness. The moment of photographing becomes a space of freedom and self-definition, where the photographer’s intentional act transcends habitual perception. In the stillness of his seascapes or the spontaneity of birds in motion, there is an implicit existential assertion: I see, therefore I am present. The camera, far from alienating the subject, becomes a means of authentic being-in-the-world - what Heidegger (1927/1962) called Dasein.
Photography, in this context, becomes a practice of existential authenticity. The self emerges not as an abstract category but as lived engagement. Chalmers’ insistence on patience, observation, and presence in his practice reflects this authenticity. Each photograph becomes a record of the self’s encounter with the flux of being - a trace of consciousness manifest in light and time.
4. The Sense of Self in the Phenomenology of PhotographyTo understand Chalmers’ “sense of self” in photography, one must consider the relational dynamics between subject, object, and medium. The camera functions as a mediator of intentional consciousness, translating the lived experience of perception into visual form. Yet, as Roland Barthes (1981) argued, the photograph also carries a punctum - an element that pierces the viewer, revealing something deeply personal and ineffable.
For Chalmers, this punctum is not only found in viewing but in the act of creation itself. The moment of capture holds an emotional and existential charge, where the photographer’s awareness is heightened to the point of self-revelation. The “sense of self” is thus both introspective and outward-looking; it is a dialogue between self-perception and world disclosure.
Phenomenologically, Chalmers’ work exemplifies what Maurice Merleau-Ponty termed the chiasm - the intertwining of self and world, subject and object (Merleau-Ponty, 1968). The photographer perceives the landscape, but the landscape, in turn, perceives the photographer through reflection and response. In Chalmers’ coastal images, for example, the reflective surface of water becomes a metaphor for self-reflection: the external environment mirrors the internal state of awareness.
This chiasmic relation blurs the boundary between inner and outer reality. As Susan Sontag (1977) suggested, photography always carries an element of self-discovery, revealing how we see and what we choose to value. Chalmers’ photographic sense of self thus resides in this intersubjective field - a space where perception and being converge in the act of seeing.
5. Temporality, Memory, and the SelfPhotography’s unique relation to time - its ability to fix the transient - makes it an especially potent medium for exploring selfhood. Each photograph is a temporal paradox: a moment preserved beyond its passing, a fragment of consciousness externalized. For Chalmers, this temporal awareness is integral to the sense of self.
The Blue Hour series, for example, captures the fleeting transition between night and day, where light becomes both physical and symbolic. These images embody what Henri Bergson (1911) described as duration—the qualitative flow of time experienced as consciousness. In freezing the moment, Chalmers does not negate duration; rather, he reveals it. The self, as temporal awareness, becomes visible through the image’s stillness.
Memory also plays a crucial role in this process. As Walter Benjamin (1936/2008) observed, photography transforms experience into trace, embedding memory within material form. Chalmers’ reflective landscapes function as mnemonic fields where perception, recollection, and imagination converge. The photograph, therefore, becomes both a record and a mirror of consciousness - an artefact of the self’s temporal unfolding.
6. The Aesthetic of Awareness: Mindfulness and Perceptual PresenceBeyond phenomenology and existentialism, Chalmers’ photographic practice resonates with contemporary theories of mindfulness and embodied awareness. His approach to image-making, often described as contemplative observation, aligns with phenomenological mindfulness - a state in which the photographer remains fully attuned to the moment of seeing.
In Chalmers’ writings and workshops, emphasis is placed on the experience of photographing rather than solely the outcome. This prioritization of process over product reflects a phenomenological attitude of openness - what Husserl termed the epoché, or suspension of preconceptions (Husserl, 1982). Through this suspension, the photographer encounters the world as if for the first time, perceiving phenomena in their immediacy.
The resulting images embody a calm attentiveness—what David Abram (1996) called “the spell of the sensuous.” Chalmers’ tranquil seascapes, often captured at dawn or dusk, evoke a meditative state that mirrors the photographer’s internal stillness. Here, the “sense of self” emerges not from self-conscious reflection but from self-forgetfulness - a dissolution of ego in pure perception.
This aesthetic of awareness situates Chalmers’ photography within a lineage of contemplative art, akin to the practices of Minor White and Paul Caponigro, who also viewed photography as a spiritual discipline. Through mindful seeing, Chalmers transforms the act of photographing into a form of existential presence - an awakening to being.
7. The Embodied Self and the Technological Mediation of VisionAn essential dimension of Chalmers’ philosophy involves reconciling the human and technological aspects of photography. While digital technology often distances the subject from experience, Chalmers’ approach reclaims the camera as an instrument of embodiment.
In this view, the camera does not objectify the world but extends the body’s perceptual capacities - a notion consistent with Don Ihde’s (1990) postphenomenological theory of technology. The lens becomes an organ of vision, amplifying awareness rather than diminishing it. Chalmers’ mastery of the Canon EOS system, combined with his meditative approach to observation, exemplifies this synthesis of precision and perception.
The “sense of self” here is technologically mediated yet phenomenologically grounded. The act of focusing, framing, and timing becomes an embodied choreography, where the self engages with material and digital processes in harmony. The technological apparatus, rather than alienating, participates in the unfolding of consciousness.
This approach challenges critiques that view photography as inherently distancing or voyeuristic. Instead, Chalmers’ practice demonstrates that technology can serve as a conduit for presence and authenticity - an interface where perception and being coalesce.
8. Interpersonal Dimensions: Self, Other, and the Shared ImageWhile much of Chalmers’ photography is introspective, it also embodies an implicit dialogue with the other—whether human, animal, or environmental. His bird photography, in particular, reflects a relational awareness that transcends anthropocentric seeing. Each avian subject becomes not merely an object of vision but a presence with its own intentionality.
This relationality echoes Emmanuel Levinas’ (1969) philosophy of the Other, wherein ethical selfhood arises from encounter. To see another being - especially one in motion - is to acknowledge its alterity and vitality. Chalmers’ sensitivity to the lifeworld of birds, and his respect for their freedom, mirrors this ethical dimension of seeing.
Through photography, the self thus enters a network of intersubjectivity, where meaning is co-created between observer and observed. The resulting images invite viewers into this dialogue, transforming private awareness into shared experience. In this way, Chalmers’ “sense of self” is both solitary and communal—an open field of perceptual empathy.
9. Reflection and Self-Transcendence in Artistic PracticeArtistic creation, for Chalmers, is inseparable from self-transcendence. The process of photographing becomes a form of existential reflection - an inquiry into what it means to be conscious, to perceive, and to exist. As Rollo May (1975) suggested, creative work is a mode of confronting one’s being and participating in the unfolding of the world.
In Chalmers’ photography, this confrontation takes a quiet, meditative form. The vastness of space, the play of light, and the motion of wings all serve as metaphors for consciousness itself - dynamic, reflective, and open-ended. Each image testifies to the photographer’s capacity to be present within impermanence.
The “sense of self” therefore emerges as a continuous process rather than a fixed identity. Through the discipline of photography, Chalmers embodies what Viktor Frankl (1946/2006) termed self-transcendence: the ability to find meaning beyond oneself through creative engagement with the world.
10. Conclusion: The Self as Luminous AwarenessVernon Chalmers’ photography articulates a profound phenomenology of selfhood - one rooted in awareness, presence, and the embodied act of seeing. His images are not merely aesthetic compositions but philosophical meditations on existence. Through the camera’s lens, the self perceives itself perceiving, discovering identity within the interplay of light and consciousness.
By merging phenomenological insight with existential authenticity, Chalmers positions photography as a path of self-understanding and transformation. The “sense of self” in his work is not a static entity but a luminous process - a rhythm of being that unfolds through attention, perception, and creation. In the stillness of his seascapes and the flight of his birds, the viewer encounters not only the world but the echo of awareness itself.
Ultimately, Chalmers’ photography reveals that to photograph is to be aware - to see oneself seeing, to dwell within the living moment of light, and to recognize in that moment the unity of self and world. His philosophy of photography, therefore, becomes a philosophy of consciousness: a vision of the self as both observer and participant in the infinite unfolding of being." (Source: ChatGPT 2025)
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Image: Copyright Vernon Chalmers Photography