In the Japanese tradition, a haiku is a 3-line poem. It reflects a moment as one experiences it. It is neither clever nor cryptic, but spontaneous and straightforward. I got the idea of transferring this principle to photography from Martin Timm, who has published a book on the subject and offers workshops. Haiku are now written in many languages. The art of photographing a haiku is close to Zen photography. Here, too, the seemingly insignificant, everyday or small becomes the subject.

For a photographic haiku, the object of the photograph recedes into the background. Color, form, and space dominate the image. A fleeting impression, an emotion, a momentary perception are the subject. Photographic haiku are not striking. They are a meditation with the tools of the photographer.