Many of you will know I love taking photos. If I don’t have my ‘proper’ camera with me my phone is often in my pocket. And I can’t help but see beautiful compositions everywhere I go.
But mindful photography takes things to another level. Rather than capturing everything you see it’s about slowing down and only taking photos of things that have meaning or move you.
More on that later. First…
What is mindfulness?
According to mindful.org it is: “The basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.”
I don’t know about you, but I’m all for less overwhelm. It’s one of the things that seems to blight us all these days.
And how does mindful photography help?
Well, it’s simply one way to be mindful and reduce overwhelm. A tool in your box if you like.
A while ago I went on a mindful photography retreat at Launde Abbey. And by fully immersing myself in this creative activity, with no pressure to perform or do things a certain way, I returned to life feeling refreshed and refocused.
And you don’t need a full blown retreat to do it. Just take whatever camera you have, wherever you are and take some pics.
Here’s how you can do it…
1. Focus completely on the photography
Firstly, aim to focus completely on what you’re doing. That could be the mechanics of taking a photo (e.g. what buttons to press, what settings to use), composing your picture (e.g. choosing your subject, how you want to frame it) or purely noticing what’s going on around you in more detail than normal and finding new things to photograph. Whatever you choose to focus on, if you’re totally engaged with it, you’ll find everything else drifts away. Life hassles and work worries – what are they?
Easier said than done, right?
But if you make a conscious decision to focus on your photography this will help massively. When your thoughts return to something you’d rather forget, just accept it’s happened and try not to judge yourself. Don’t beat yourself up about it because you’ll only feel worse. And the more you learn to refocus on what you’re doing in the moment, the less your thoughts will wander.
So, how do you refocus?…
2. Use all your senses to immerse yourself in the process
At Launde we were encouraged to slow down so we’d notice more. To use all our senses to engage with the world around us. And believe me, when you do this on purpose, there’s a lot to see.
Here’s my experience of sitting with the bees…
Ambling slowly past the pond, a patch of purple-blue flowers catches my eye. And in the quiet afternoon the buzzing of the bees is so loud as I make myself comfortable on the grass. I’m mesmerised by their fluffy bodies bumbling lazily from bloom to bloom, gorging on the sweet nectar. I can’t take my eyes away, even to take photos!
But so what? I’ve distanced myself from everything but the sounds, sights, and smells of the moment. I’m enjoying the feel of the summer breeze as it dances across my face, the sound of buzzing intermingled with softly swishing reeds by the pond and the occasional plash of a fish jumping in the water. The heady scent of freshly cut grass nearby blowing through my nostrils – fragrant on such a warm day.
Then I remember, “I’m supposed to be taking photos!” My zoom lets me get in so close and I can see individual hairs on the bees, grains of pollen on their legs ready to fertilise next year’s flowers. “Wow! Nature is doing its thing and I can see it all! It’s not just on TV or even in my imagination, but right here, In front of my nose!”
Thoughts of normal life vanished. “I was free!”
You can do mindful photography anywhere, with any camera
To get going with mindful photography you must be purposeful and allocate time for it. But then just grab whatever camera you have and go wherever you want. Although I recommend getting outside if you can because being in nature is so good for you.
And you don’t need to be a good photographer either – it’s all about the process, not the resulting pics. The point is to enjoy what you’re doing and have a break from the rest of life. The feel-good factor you’ll get from being totally absorbed in the activity is incredibly freeing. And without the pressure to perform you’ll find your worries float away – so you’ll return to life feeling refreshed.
So what are you waiting for? Happy snapping 😊