Robert Broughton

Through photography, I have found a perpetual means for exploring self-expression and to comprehend questions that have long played upon my mind. Intrigued by Buddhist philosophy, psychoanalysis, and contemplative practices, I have realized how my images reflect my state of being; the struggles with depression, the sadness of loss and the happiness of love.  The potential to understand these states in a mutually enriching way has emphasized how important it is to tackle disturbing emotions and keep working towards peace of mind.

 

Photography is a meditative practice through which I can relate the processes of the mind to the natural world. Hence, I enjoy discovering how our perceptions influence the way we perceive and connect. This rapport with nature feels a critical antidote to the increasingly chaotic, frantic, and virtual world within which we live.

 

The endless exploration of landscapes, nature, and the mind has proved a cathartic and healing journey; a way of promoting self-awareness and enabling more profound and meaningful self-expression. Awakening to beauty and the mutable resources of nature both grounds and releases the experience of the self; I become more aware of my bodily experience and more attentive to my perceptual freedom, consolidating the fact that we are all agents of self-discovery.

 

Through my images, I have sought to present the expressive quality of our natural world and hope to awaken a sense of beauty, wonder and appreciation of its spirit — a spirit that teaches us a genuinely expressive and transcending vocabulary and tells of our interconnectedness.

 

While I hope that many of my images stand as individual statements, they can also be taken as a collective; a narrative of curiosity and appreciation, self-exploration, and unfolding gratitude towards the most patient of teachers: nature.