Mindful photography course - launch
What is mindful photography and why should you do it?
My most popular online course, which only runs twice a year (in June and November), is my Mindful Photography workshop. It’s a surprisingly intense course, with two aims:
to enable you to free yourself of fear and worry when you’re out taking photographs, and allow joy and creativity to flourish instead; and
through a series of structured exercises, to show you how to really focus your attention while you are taking photographs so that you can both take fewer shots, and be prouder of the ones you do take.
Previous students have reported:
a renewed enthusiasm for photography
the realisation that embracing imperfection can be a relief, and a stepping stone to greater things
for the first time, really letting go of the need to compare themselves to others, and being able to focus on their own journey with all its ups and downs
being able to shoot genuinely just for fun once again
the ability to concentrate on one thing at a time, without being distracted
slowing down, not just in photography, but in many areas of life
being more patient with themselves
If you are reading this in May 2019, registration is now open for the next course that starts on June 3. Click the button below to join. If you are reading when registration has closed, make a note in your diary to check back with me at the end of October, or April, which is when the course launches each year.
Of all the courses I’ve written, this is the one I loved writing the most - it has everything I've learnt about the process of creativity and the benefits of acceptance. I didn't want to dumb it down and make a superficial course - I really wanted the whole course to give you rock-solid foundations on which to build your own, unique photography practice.
My credentials are these:
I’ve been a professional photographer for 15 years, shortlisted for International Garden Photographer of the Year, and finalist in Travel Photographer of the Year.
I have a Masters degree in Psychology, specialising in how to teach creativity.
As a woman in a man’s world (professional photography is overwhelmingly male), I have fought and won my own internal battles over feelings of inferiority and imposter syndrome - and I share all the techniques I used (and still use).
That’s me shooting in the rain. Many students like to do this course using their phone - they find they are freed from the pressure of having to remember settings and concentrate on what they “should” be doing with their big camera. So if you fancy it, you don’t need a DSLR, and you don’t need to be able to shoot off auto.
What, exactly, is involved?
The course starts on Monday 3 June, and lasts for 14 weeks. A new lesson is posted every Monday. The lessons are a combination of text and external videos. There is a photography or journalling project associated with each lesson.
There is a private Facebook group to share photos and ask questions. No individual feedback on images is given - this is a supportive course with no pressure to create any particular kind of photograph. I hope you will take the opportunity to experiment and relax without having to worry about being critiqued.
Weeks 1 & 2: Enjoy the journey
- we never arrive, so stop trying to
- progress, not perfection
Weeks 3 & 4: Focus
- taking better photos
- respect the moment
Weeks 5 & 6: Space to be creative
- embracing the flow
- uncovering your creative self
Weeks 7 & 8: Becoming less predicable
- habits
- what's your comfort zone?
Weeks 9 & 10: Strength in vulnerability
- what's the worst that can happen?
- wabi sabi
Weeks 11 & 12: Self
- self indulgence
- finding your style
Weeks 13 & 14: Glass half full?
- negativity
- positivity
Some lessons take less than 10 minutes to read through, others take 2-3 hours to fully digest. Some weeks you might only use your camera for 20 minutes, others you might want to take it out every day for an hour. You don’t need to complete each week’s project in order to progress to the next week, but you should set aside enough time to read through each lesson and watch the associated videos.
To register for the June 2019 class, click this button:
If registration for that class has closed, click this button to join my once-a-month email list. You’ll get one email at the end of every month with a list of all the courses opening for registration shortly, and any other news and recent blog posts I have published:
