Senryu is a more informal version of the Japanese Haiku form, intended for topics that are not tied into nature, or perhaps are humorous, or both. This is simplifying the art, I'm sure, but that's a quick nutshell take on the form.

Whenever I travel, I love to take photos with my digital camera. I've been doing this for a number of years. On any given trip, I may take 1000 photos or more, depending upon how much "downtime" I get. As I walk about, I usually look for unusual juxtapositions of ordinary objects (like a baby doll hugging a pickle), or unordinary objects in ordinary places (like a pack of cigarettes in a church pew), or perhaps an interesting angle or framing of something interesting. For any trip, there are maybe a couple of images that stand out to me -- that speak to me about a truth. I use the Senryu form to try to marry the images to some kind of subtle (hopefully non-preachy) underlying truth.

Why do I do this? It's not really work to me, so much as a compulsion. The images beg to be shared, and the ones that make me think of something significant outside the frame beg a lot louder. The images are really not that good. The verse is really not that good, either. But the two together -- if not good per se -- may work together to convey something that moves the viewer/reader. And if they do that -- then they make each other better -- like a good marriage.

Since the name PhotoSenryu was already taken (on FaceBook, Twitter, and a few other places), I decided to name this project PhotoSinryu. I like how it is likely to be pronounced "sinner you" by non-Japanese speakers, like myself. The only danger in this name is that it might be construed that I am judgmental and believe everyone else to be a sinner. Actually, it's true. We are all sinners. The difference is that I recognize my own sinfulness as well. So I personally see the "sinner you" as directed to me. Everyone else can interpret as they choose.

© 2020, by Brian Kokensparger. Return to PhotoSinryu List.