Connecting with Nature Through Mindful Photography
Using Mindful Nature Photography as a Pathway to Presence
The art of Mindful Nature photography is an embodied practice. When practiced consciously and with intention, it leads to the development of presence and awareness.
Being outdoors in the natural world encourages us to become truly present with our environment through sensory engagement. We see, touch, smell, and listen to the landscape. Sometimes we might even taste its sweet fruits or the purity of Mother Nature's waters.
We learn, therefore, to become present with ourselves when we are immersed in the creative process, engaging with Nature and searching for photographs in our immediate environment. Our minds, bodies, and spirits become one as we move through the landscape to photograph gnarled, ancient trees and silent mountain lakes.
As we scan our surroundings, in the hope that the ever-elusive beauty of a composition reveals itself before our eyes, our energy and awareness can be nowhere else but ‘here’ in the moment. It takes true presence to see meaningful compositions. The more engaged we are in our craft — the more present we are with the landscape — the more likely we are to recognise Mother Nature’s omnipresent beauty.
Why Practice Mindful Photography?
Mindful Photography Reduces Stress & Anxiety
Nature photography provides a much-needed escape from the mind. During your time in Nature, engaged with the creative process, you’ll notice your thoughts stop, the tides of day-to-day stress and anxiety subside, and your awareness comes into the present moment.
When you are mesmerised by the simple beauty of a tree’s backlit leaves, you are unable to think about the steps required to grow your social media following or how to negotiate your next pay rise. Instead, you are fully immersed in the creative process — you have no time to ruminate over past events or worry about the future.
A productive mindful photography session can be a soul-cleansing experience — a ‘spiritual reset’, if you like.
Reconnect with the Inner Child
Nature photography encourages experimentation and play. You can reconnect with awe, imagination, and wonder whilst engaged with the natural world. Trees dance, mountains share ancient wisdom, and spirits bathe in serene lakes. There are no limitations on the stories that can be told through the lens.
Mindful Photography Leads to Increased Awareness
Through the photographic process, you sharpen your observational skills. To photograph something, you first have to see it. Mindful Nature photography, therefore, teaches us to become aware of our surroundings; we attune ourselves to the landscape, seeing and listening to both outer and inner landscapes. Nature becomes our mirror and greatest teacher, leading us to a place of deeper self-awareness. We further understand ourselves and get a sense of our place here in the cosmos.
Express Yourself with Safety
Photography provides a wonderful platform for the safe expression of your full self. If you’re not comfortable being seen in your rawest moments, you can channel your grief, fear, shame, joy, and love into your photographs, lightening your emotional load at a safe distance from the world. When we blend Nature photography with the written word, we develop a powerful practice for emotional alchemy and transmutation. We heal at the deepest level.
Develop Your Vision & Enhance Creativity
Photography opens the mind to new ways of thinking, building neural pathways in the brain. You’ll learn to see through many different lenses when you practice mindful photography. Your view of the world will never be the same again. Creativity increases, cognitive function improves, and awareness expands. Mindful photography, therefore, leads to immense amounts of personal and spiritual growth.
Connect with Something Sacred
Many ancient traditions, such as the Celts and Shamans, viewed the world through an animistic lens, believing that Nature is alive with spirits. When we engage with Nature through the creative process, we enter a state of deep presence and connect with something sacred and divine that lives inside ourselves.
This connection awakens us to our true Nature. We get a sense that this existence is much bigger than we might have once been able to comprehend. We learn to transcend our own egocentric wants, needs, and desires, and begin to live a purposeful life in the ultimate service to Spirit.
How to Practice Mindful Photography
Begin with the Basics
The best thing about practicing mindful photography is that you don’t need all the latest, fancy camera gear to start taking pictures. You can begin right now with your mobile phone. Mindful Nature photography isn’t about the size of your lens or how many megapixels your camera has. It is about deepening your connection with the natural world. This illuminating, expansive, creative practice is not an ego-contest — it is meant, in fact, to strip away layers of your ego so you can connect with spirit and express directly from your soul.
Chances are, your mobile phone is always nearby, which means you can practice mindful photography at any time. You can connect with the spirit of Nature during your lunch break or whilst out for your morning walk. When you make creativity a dedicated practice, you will reap immeasurable rewards and notice significant improvements in the quality of your mental well-being.
Reduce the Noise & Distractions
The practice of mindful photography requires us to come into a state of presence. Therefore, we must try to silence the busy mind and eliminate anything that takes our awareness from the present moment. The most obvious thing in this day and age would be the mobile phone. At the very least, I usually silence all notifications whilst outdoors with my camera. Sometimes, I will keep it packed away in my bag or leave it behind altogether to avoid temptations.
Whilst walking to or around my chosen location, I will often practice some light breathwork, tucking my chin, pressing my tongue against the roof of my mouth, and drawing breath deeply in through my nose. This is what I call ‘conscious breathing’. Whenever I feel my awareness drifting away from the moment, and thoughts kicking in, I come back to my breath and begin to observe my surroundings, paying attention to colours, textures, and light/ shadow.
Observe More, Photograph Less
As I have progressed in my own photographic journey, I have become much more selective about the photographs I create. Rather than photographing everything I see as I once did, I now go outdoors with the intention of returning with just a handful of meaningful, thought-provoking photographs.
When we set intentions and refine our approach to photography in this way, we bring our energy back to ourselves, rather than scattering it on the many different subjects outside ourselves.
Whilst practicing mindful photography, we observe both inner and outer landscapes. Our awareness should be centred on our own inner world of feelings before anything else. To enhance the creative practice, ask yourself, ‘How does this place make me feel?’ ‘Why am I drawn to this subject?’ ‘What would I like to leave behind today?’
Slow Down & Focus on the Process
The photographs we accrue throughout the creative process are a byproduct of the connection we make with the natural world and ourselves. When we go outdoors with the intention of connecting with the spirit of Nature before anything, photographs are much more likely to reveal themselves to us. Your priority should be to connect before creating — to enjoy your time in Nature: listening, feeling, observing, and simply ‘being’.
Recognise Beyond the Representational
Nature photography is enhanced significantly when we learn to create photographs about things rather than of things. Making conceptual photographs about things rather than representational photographs of a thing or a place forces us to explore our inner world of thoughts and feelings, channeling them into something creative and productive.
When we engage these innermost parts of ourselves to tell personally meaningful stories, rather than simply ‘taking pictures’, we enter a deeper state of presence. Mindful photographs, therefore, are a result of the presence we find.
Conclusion
Practicing mindful Nature photography is a truly transformational experience. Not only do we connect with the natural world and find a place of presence that we often struggle to access in this modern, digital landscape, but we also create personally expressive and meaningful photographs by tuning in to the quiet voice that hides in the depths of our inner landscape.
If you’re interested in learning the art of mindful Nature photography, perhaps you would like to attend one of our upcoming workshops. These are held in various locations throughout Mid Wales and beyond, and are available to book from as little as £15. With professional guidance from internationally published photographer, writer, and creative coach Brad Carr, you are guaranteed a transformative experience — both in your photographs and in your mindset.
Why wait to awaken your soul and step into your innate, creative power?