Mindful Photography Workshop – Your Landscape

Somehow I have managed to avoid bad weather at my photography workshops. The very first one I delivered was visited by a violent hail storm, but since then the sun has always shone. In fact, the last time I visited Llanmadoc to deliver a photography workshop, 2 years ago almost to the day, it was scorchio! That luck ran out on Saturday and challenged the students to create photos that illustrated their inner landscape in dull, dreary, damp weather.

I shared some techniques and ideas for envisioning how we feel through photography that included the elements of visual design and a more personal immersive experience. Despite the challenging conditions everyone embraced the challenge and produced some personally resonant photos. The story behind each photo is not shared here but maybe you get a sense of the photographer’s thoughts and feelings from their photos.

Beginner’s Mind Practice

The first Mindful Photography practice was called ‘Beginner’s Mind’ and encouraged us to look at our environment as if it was the first time we had seen it. In a limited space we had to create up to 10 photos, and the students could not see their view screens, so there was no checking to see how the photos had come out. This kind of limitation slows us down and attunes us to our present moment. One photo was shared from each student.

Equivalents

The next Mindful Photography practice encouraged us to represent our emotional experience through a photograph. The conditions were particularly challenging as the light faded and the heavens opened. We protected our cameras and ourselves as well as we could and ventured down onto the beach. What feelings do these photos generate for you?

Finally…

A few of my photos from the session. Let’s hope the weather is kinder at my next workshop in Cardiff next month!