Strolls For Your Soul

The merits of mindfulness have been widely documented in recent years, and there's precious little as mindful & healthy for me as a stroll with a camera. Mindfulness and mindfulness meditations have been an enormous help to me in dealing with a long standing life with anxiety. Photography walks are a perfect way to extend mindfulness to an art form I love, all for the benefit of my physical and mental health.

The way I see it, the camera is a vehicle to help you capture the world as you see it, and as such you should think about the camera second. Your eye and seeing the world mindfully and presently comes first. Once you've spotted something and engaged with it, grab the camera and form your composition to tell the story or capture the moment.

You might not have a dedicated camera, but you have your phone and that's enough more often than not for a simple process like this. If you spot something and it's far away don't immediately default to pinching in on your screen to try capture it with a zoom — move towards your subject with your feet if possible. Along the way you might spot another angle to shoot or something different entirely. Remember, if you're tunnel-visioned in on getting something you might miss the beautiful moment out the corner of your eye.

When having a mindful photography session try not to overthink things; be cognisant of what's around you. Be present. Feel the heat of the sun on your back, the breeze on your face, take deep breaths and allow yourself to relax into your environment. Look for the way light hits the world around you, is it flat and even, or is there a dramatic stream of light creating high contrast shadows. Look to the trees and plants blowing in the breeze, or the flicker of a candle in the corner of your room. Look to the sky and watch how the birds float effortlessly on a breeze. When you do this you'll find yourself drawn to subjects and particular areas, at which point you should reach for the camera and begin to capture what you're seeing in front of you. To quote the brilliant portrait photographer Gregory Heisler: "Shoot what you can't help but shoot."

This post features moments captured just before and during my walk on Thursday September 23rd, 2021 in my hometown of Ballybunion. While I am blessed with this beautiful coastline here, I fundamentally believe there's beauty to be found everywhere. Look for the light, and happy shooting. Tag me in your shots (@jerrylanephotography) and use the hashtag #strollsforyoursoul so we can all enjoy what we captured together.

#StrollsForYourSoul