The Mindful Photographer - Soul Photography

For me, the practice of mindful photography has been a real eye-opener.... literally.

I started practising mindful photography as a way of slowing down and really seeing the things that I'd normally walk past without noticing - such as the glint of a broken bottle in an alleyway, or the peeling pain of an old door - looking with fresh eyes at ordinary and everyday things really help me feel connected with the subject.

Looking through a camera in a meditative, present-moment way, helps me to savour the here-and-now and can be very absorbing, even calming... and sometimes some surprising images emerge too!

Rather than creating art or being an artist, I see myself as a receiver and co-creator of images. The subject, the camera, and me, together co-create an image of whatever feels true at that moment in time.

As the poet Mary Oliver said: "to pay attention, this is our endless and proper work".

Heather Greenbank