Mindful.Sacred.Photo

A few months ago I had this great idea for an online workshop.

Inspired by my new found love for Instagram.

I started to dream about it. Outline it.   Put it together.   And I named it:Mindful.Sacred.Photo.

I even spoke about it in my last newsletter HERE.

But then, something didn’t feel right.

At first, I thought maybe I didn’t fully understand what I was trying to get across.  That I needed more clarity.

More time to sit with it–and experience what Mindful.Sacred.Photo really means to me.

Photo…that was easy.  I love snapping photos all the time with my Iphone–and the quick fix to editing you can get with Instagram and the many other apps I have downloaded on my phone.

Sacred…well, to me everything is sacred.  Everything.

But Mindful?That’s where I got hooked.

How is snapping photos of every beautiful thing I see–every great composition that comes my way–every cutie pa tutie moment of Phoenix’s life–How is that mindful?  How is it not?

The truth is, it’s not.  Taking photos with my Iphone is reactive.  It’s impulsive.It’s addictive even. I see, I point, I click.Then I move on like nothing ever happened.

Just recently I was cleaning out a closet when I came across a box of old childhood photos.I was amazed to see that many of them had that Instagram shape to them–and even the same look.But they were all done by a regular old camera, using ol’ fashioned kind of film you had to take to get developed and wait a week or two for the results, in a time where phones were something connected to a twirly cord in the kitchen.

Taking photos back then was a special occasion.  Not a habit.

You only got so many photos with each roll of film–so you didn’t want to waste a shot.You were mindful about it.

Not to say that all those pretty Instagram photos of feet strategically placed on a sandy beach or on some gorgeous hardwood floor is not mindful.

Maybe it’s just the why I’m struggling with?  Why do we need to shoot every moment and nook and cranny of our life?

Are we truly just sharing?Are we documenting because we’re afraid we’ll miss something?  Or are we just becoming are own paparazzi–exploiting our own existence?So my real question became:

What about keeping something so sacred that it’s not meant to be just a snippet of your everyday life–but rather an act of reverence for this blessed beloved life you live?

That’s it.

That’s what I was looking for–needing clarity around.

I couldn’t begin becoming more mindful about my photo practice if I was just doing it with my Iphone.I needed to pull out the Big Girl Camera once again.  That chunky piece of equipment that doesn’t fit as comfy in the palm of my hand like an Iphone.  That piece of machinery, that I’ll be honest, I know very little on how to use properly.  That thing that comes with a fancy case and lenses you have to be careful about.That camera that doesn’t have a quick editing fix built right in.That sweet gift my husband gave me–so I could share in the same love he has for capturing the world in such a powerful way.

I had to choose something that would help slow the process down so I could become more mindful about the sacred photos I wish to take.

I needed to make photo taking an occasion again. Like getting dressed up for church or going out for ice cream.

And even more–this just happened to be the exact medicine I need in my life right now.Mindful.Sacred.Photo is for me.  Not something I want to teach or have to create a marketing plan around.

Mindful.Sacred.Photo is an experiment.A project.  A body of work I wish to explore.

Or in blog terms…a series I’ll be posting regularly.Starting today….

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