Contemplative Photography: Chapters 12, 13, and 15: Joining Mind and Eye -and- Forming the Equivalent I and II

Chapter 12: Joining Mind and Eye 
We are not typically aware of our entire range of vision. When we walk into a room, we don’t notice all detail equally.  The mind picks out items within visual range on which to focus.  Knowing how awareness operates can improve the ability to see and make better images.  A camera-less exercise follows which requires fixing the gaze on one spot while moving awareness around within the visual field.  That is, moving awareness into the periphery without moving the eyes.  When doing this I found my awareness creating an almost physical feeling of pulling on the gaze.  When awareness moved top left, for example, I felt the mind pulling me to move my gaze in that direction.  It was not difficult to resist, but it was very noticeable. By slightly relaxing the intensity of the gaze, more of the periphery fell into sharper focus and became part of a bigger picture.  Increasing the intensity of the gaze reduced peripheral sharpness.