“Who took that photograph with my camera? I don’t remember making that photograph, so who did?” Don’t we all have some of those photographs? The surprising thing is the mystery photograph is an exceptional effort. It is either exceptionally bad, or exceptionally good. The fact that you cannot remember making either the good one or the bad one is really puzzling. My theory is the exceptionally good one is made in a Zen-like state of mindlessness when you have cut loose your creative inhibitions and are creating art on an intuitive basis. The exceptionally bad photograph comes from the empty headedness of carelessness and stupidity. The difference between having an empty mind and an empty head is truly dramatic.
I have also noticed that these mystery photographs have a higher likelihood of becoming enduring favorites rather than the ones you “know” are good the minute you take them. I think that might be because the mystery photographs are closer to your soul than ones that are closer to your intellect
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