Winter’s Passage
“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” This idea, often linked to Leonardo da Vinci, resonates deeply with my approach to photographic haiga (also called shahai), blending the principles of haiku with minimalist photography. Haiku and minimalist art share a core idea: saying more with less. Both forms strip away the excess, leaving only what truly matters. Haiga brings image and poem together to tell a richer story, creating a space that invites pause and reflection, offering viewers a chance to fill the quiet with their own interpretations.
In 2023, I embarked on an exploration of haiku poetry—whose beauty I had just discovered—seeking to inform and enhance my images. Haiku’s concise, precise nature helped me focus on the essence of a subject, shedding unnecessary details and finding beauty in fleeting moments. This approach has deepened my appreciation for subtle, evocative scenes and allowed me to capture them with intentional simplicity. “This project, titled “Winter’s Passage,” captures the quiet transformation from autumn’s introspective tones through winter’s solitude to spring’s gentle renewal. The images were composed and processed in a style appropriate for the feeling evoked within me, woven into a cohesive narrative by the inclusion of handwritten haiku.
Explore more of my work on my website: www.ianjmuirheadarts.com.
