'Mono no aware' (物の哀れ) is a Japanese aesthetic and philosophical concept that translates literally to 'the pathos of things'. It describes the melancholic but poignant awareness one feels when reflecting upon the transience of life. It invites us to pause and appreciate the profound beauty in the impermanence of all things; the grace in decay.
To me, photography offers a medium through which to capture this sensation. Everything I photograph will be gone one day. The moment in which I take each photograph and the way I feel when doing so is fleeting. This ephemerality prompts a heightened appreciation of not only my subjects' evanescence, but my own.
Luke De-Venny is a photographer based in London, UK, with an interest in architecture, landscape, nature, travel, and wildlife photography.
Thank you!