The art of mindful photography.
You are wandering through the streets of Seville on a warm, spring afternoon. Vibrant flower beds line rows of quaint, pastel coloured shops. You can hear the sound of laughter and rapid Spanish conversations, above the trickle of a nearby fountain. The air is rich with the smell of blossoming flowers and the sun warms your face as you wander, with no destination in mind.
Yep, that first thirty minutes exploring a new city can feel truly euphoric. Every sense is heightened, everything is new and rich. It’s like we get a glimpse of life’s authentic self, full of joy and colour — before we adapt, and slowly fall into ourselves, losing touch with the beauty around us.
In instances like this, travel has helped you put on a lens of mindful presence. Mindfulness, as I am sure you know by now, is a practice centred in being present on the moment. Science has shown a range of benefits from mindfulness, such as an increase of grey matter in the brain, a reduction of anxiety and faster learning.
Mindfulness isn’t all about sitting with your legs crossed or meditating. In fact, every day, mundane tasks can become a mindful practice — this is called informal mindfulness.
Photography…
One way I like to embrace informal mindfulness while traveling is through photography. Let’s now take a brief intermission for me to show off some of my favourite photography from my latest trip.
Ok now that’s out the way…
With camera in hand, I wandered through the streets of Seville, feeling the sun on my face, studying the composition of light, the angles of the buildings and the unfolding scenes around me. My senses where heightened, and I was far from thinking about the impeding deadline of upcoming projects, or the mountain of dirty laundry that needed my attention. In some instances, photography may take you away from the moment, though I think there is a way for it to actually be beneficial, and act as a mindful practice.
Travel itself really can help boost your wellbeing. From the obvious things, like expanding your culinary palate and cultural understandings, to cryptic lessons and opportunities for informal mindfulness. Though, simply being pulled away from the mundane and thrust into paradise, doesn’t always induce happiness. I am sorry to say, that just as in normal life, you will feel a full range of emotions while traveling and this is ok. Wellbeing isn’t just a hammock between two trees, it is a kind of balancing act which takes constant work and a lot of juggling.
