Mindfulness Photography
Mindfulness is a state of awareness , to be in the present moment, both attentive and non- judgemental, free from distraction.
When we are in a mindful state, we are facing the bare facts of our existence. We simply accept things for what they are .
Acceptance in it’s truest form, means that we stop trying to change things we can’t control.
Seeing mindfully is using not only our emotions but all our senses.
You could say that photography is a physical product of mindfulness. It is about stopping, pausing, observing. Being in the moment, focusing and capturing the thing that has made us stop at that precise moment.
The photographer Dorothea Lange wrote “The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera.” I truly believe that photography reflects an expression of our personality, thoughts and feelings.
By slowing down and being in the moment, even the most simple things can become both interesting and beautiful.
Only recently have I started to relate mindfulness and photography as part of the same thing, although on reflection I think subconsciously I’ve been practicing a form of mindful photography for some years.
My background is not in photography, but the fast paced world of the hotel kitchen, working as a chef. Long hours, little pay and the pressure of a fast paced kitchen was eventually taking it’s toll on me. I’m not so sure now, but certainly twenty years ago, kitchens could be both mentally and physically abusive places to be. During my breaks in the afternoon I would go on walks, just to calm down, relax and get some fresh air. I found being amongst nature almost comforting. Walking in the woods, listening to the birds, taking in the aroma of the pine trees always gave me a sense of calm.
I started to suffer from anxiety and mild depression, I had everything I could ever want, a loving wife, two beautiful children, a nice house and our wonderful dog. I would often beat myself up wondering how I could feel so low and yet have so much. I would hide my anxiety well from all but my closest family, and I have a lot to thank my wonderful wife for. Her patience and understanding has been a godsend over the years.
After a while I bought myself a little camera to record the things I was seeing whilst out on my walks, and found myself becoming more involved in the photographic process. I would lose myself in making images and hours seemed like minutes. Anything that was bothering me would just disappear for those few hours that I would be out with the camera. This was the time I think subconsciously I was practising mindfulness.
Years later and a move from Oxfordshire to Somerset, I’m no longer working in those hotel kitchens and I find myself more relaxed than I’ve ever been, theres still days when the Anxiety takes hold, but I now have the opportunity to walk by the ocean or hike the Exmoor hills.
Exmoor has become my home, and the place I feel most at peace, finding solitude walking on the moors or just gazing at the ebb and flow of the sea. Every second out in the countryside is relished, from a warm breeze in the Summer to the rolling rain clouds and bare trees of the Winter. Each season produces a better understanding not only of nature but ourselves.
I am truly passionate about mindful photography, and the effect it has on both our wellbeing and mental health.