Did you know that taking a few shots can help with anxiety and stress? It’s true – let me explain. I’m a downright amateur, but I’ll share some of my ‘work’ with you as we go.
If you’re working through anxiety, you are likely finding yourself ‘in your head’ more than you’d like; you’re either thinking of the past or the future. You also may have heard of mindfulness, a technique to keep you focused on the present by paying attention to your breath, your body, and the world around you, and while mediation is fantastic, it’s not the only way you can be mindful and present!
Well, photography is all about the current moment, not about the past or the future but now. It’s capturing the fleeting instant of time and emotion to be interpreted later by the viewer. That’s it. It’s up to you what and how you want to convey to the viewer.
But the best thing is that it’s accessible to pretty much everyone. You don’t need to spend a ton of money on camera gear – the smartphones of today take fantastic pictures. You don’t need to travel all the time to take great photos – you can start with the zoo, your local park, and even inside the house. Kids and animals are great subjects, and so are the squirrles in the backyard and the birds in the park. Even a crowded place (yeah, yeah, COVID, I know) can be a great scene to take portraits.
When you’re taking pictures, you’ll find yourself thinking (often subconsciously) about the subject, the scenery, the view, the background, and the emotion/mood you want to capture. These are all things that are happening now, and that’s what your brain is focused on at that time; nothing else matters, not the past and not the future.
So why not start today? Grap your phone, dust off your old DSLR or even a film camera and start shooting!
Finding yourself wanting to take better shots and learn a few easy tricks about photography? Here’s a great article that I’ve used in order to start taking better pictures by learning about the basics of lighting and composition.