The Somatic Experience of Photography

Today will be a beautiful rainy day.

I’m spending my morning walking the streets of Philadelphia, enjoying the cool breeze and the clouds in the sky before the rain comes down. Just walking around town, photographing trash and random shit that I see around me.

I’m listening to the chirping birds in the trees along the street, the roaring engines of airplanes, cars honking, feeling the cool breeze on my skin.

The bodily experience of being out in the world excites me.

Photography has nothing to do with photography.

Honestly, the deeper I go into this rabbit hole of the physical body—after three years of daily fasting, one meal a day, 100% carnivore diet—I recognize the importance of vitality in order to create anything.

When I wake up in the morning with physical power and energy, and my body is empty, my nervous system is aligned perfectly. I feel deeply. I see with clarity. I have an abundance of joy within me because I’ve aligned my physical body.

And so while I’m out there walking, moving through life with my camera, I’m not thinking. I’m simply responding intuitively from my gut. And when my gut tells me to click the shutter, I obey.

Our brain—our irrational need to understand everything—I believe clouds us with decision fatigue.

What camera should I use?
What focal length is best?
Where should I go next?

These questions baffle me.

Pure bliss and freedom are found when all of these decisions are eliminated. With laser, pinpoint focus, I simply enjoy the present moment.

Whether or not I see something interesting today, or come home with anything great, is not my concern. That is out of my control.

And this is what makes street photography so beautiful.

It’s embracing the mundane.
The spontaneity of everyday life.
Enjoying the ride.
Enjoying the sights.
The smells.
The feeling of walking through the streets.

It’s the bodily sensation of walking that is ultimately why I love photography.