Alysson Gomes' photostream

I have never been successful in accepting the idea of making a wealthy living from photographs. What I've always tried to do was to sustain inside my heart that dream-like Ideal (with capital "I") of making photographs from something worth living.

This is the basis I chose for my life and it certainly has it's own effects through all over my photography.

If I ever put myself to photograph a man or a bird, a girl and a pool, a boy and a bed, an elder and a musical instrument, all I can say is that my act was not ruled by any kind of differentiation and confusion that words alone always end up by producing.

On the contrary, guided by the spontaneous intention of finding out some hidden simplicity that lies underneath every complex image, my eyes always ran through very simple words and very simple meanings: a man and a bird, a girl in a pool, a boy on a bed, an elder and his musical instrument.

In the relationship between things lies the silence of understanding: not only an indescribable feeling that no words will ever be able to bring up, but also, and above all, a meaning that only images can bring to the uncertainty and apparent randomness of our world.

The camera is an instrument of the mind in it's external search for knowledge, as well as the instant is an instrument of the soul in it's internal search for infinity. Each of our experiences is lived, and will always be lived, in the present. Right there, on the spot. No delays, no excuses. This is the most predictable fact of our so-called "future". This is the tao of the camera, this is the discipline of the frame.

Flexibility is the key to discovery, and photography is mostly a process of discovery. Taking photographs constitutes a ritual of self-discovery and also of re-discovery of the world as it looks like to us (which is ultimately a new process of discovery of ourselves). It seems complicated, but it isn't. It is by taking photographs in real world situations that one discovers what kind of photographer he/she really is, and what kind of pictures he/she can actually take despite any kind of pre-conceived actions. Preconceptions, predispositions and anticipations are very dangerous in photography, specially in street and documentary endeavors. In fact, it takes time and practice for a photographer to become aware of how to manipulate these things properly. They are indeed very useful and effective, but must be used with caution. For instance, if a photographer looks pretty much like an image hunter, anticipation works like the poison that one puts in the tip of his spear. It can be used to hit, succeed and prevail, but can also inflict wounds and produce self-damage to creative skills and inspirations. Therefore, caution is imperative.

Forget the past. It doesn't exist anymore. Forget the future. It doesn't exist yet - and may not even come to exist at any given time to you. In terms of life, photography is an art of "nowness", which is ultimately an expression of awareness. Memories (the past) and preconceptions (the future) are illusions that mislead us from the intuitive ways toward spontaneity and self-expression.

When one gives up trying to understand the moment, that´s when he/she has achieved a real possibility of understanding him/herself. By giving up the rational impulse of description and justification, one can finally glance the path that leads to essential visual representation. For me, photography is all about that at the same time.

Mind is not a trap. Mind has been trapped.
Mind is not a prison. Mind has been imprisoned.
Mind is not an enemy. Mind is a mirror of the self. It makes possible self-realization.

Photography depends on the spontaneous processes of the mind.

Release what you've got. Realize what you are, realize what you have accomplished up to now and what you have not accomplished yet. Recognize your mistakes in life, including those made with and without the camera on your hands. Release yourself and unleash the eye toward self-expression.

There is absolutely no difference between living and photographing.

I am infinitely grateful to all of those whose feelings, complicity and expressions have been put in front of me and my cameras, as well as to the effort of those whose works, thoughts and questioning have lead me to this simple and invaluable understanding.