How I got into the “woo woo” side of photography
How I got into the “woo woo” side of photography
I have to admit, going from the technical and design side of photography, to the woo woo side was difficult for me.
You see, I always thought of photography as addressing communications problems – like how my client was going to show this gadget or those people to the marketplace. Or more recently, how I was going to show off a family in a funky or epic environment. I never really got into the deeper meaning stuff. I’m very practical and grounded.
Yet, I did understand the value of going on photo walks and getting into that other head space and how it made me feel inside. I just never had any formal methods or reasoning behind it.
But now I do!
Thanks to counsellor Ruth Bergen Braun, my co-creator in Take a Break – Photography for Self Care, I’m learning things like Taking in the Good, and how my own negativity bias has held me back for so long, both creatively and personally. (Oh dear, I’ve gotten all touchy-feely on you, haven’t I?)
And, I’m learning how photography can add richness and relaxation to my life in ways that I have never thought of before – like mindfulness or being present.
Here’s an excerpt from one of our lessons:
When we are truly present, we notice what we see, what we hear, what we smell, what sensations we feel in our bodies.
Being present, just like being fit, is something that we can become better at simply by working at it. That is why often, mindfulness exercises are referred to as practices. Photography is an excellent tool to stretch our mindfulness muscles. Simply looking for an image to capture takes us out of tomorrow and into NOW.
Those are just a couple of examples of how this course has touched me personally.
And it is shifting my own thinking from taking pictures to creating images.
If any of this kind of thing sounds interesting to you, Ruth and I would love to have you in the course. The students that are already enrolled in Take a Break, are engaging with the content by posting photos and interesting comments.
If you are not quite ready to begin, you can enroll today and start whenever you want to. You do this course at your own pace, and at the time of the day that suits you best.
There is an optional assignment each week, and we feel that the true value of this course is based upon reflection of the instruction, and then doing the work.
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