Welcome to Spiritual Photo Tip 17 – Perspective – opening new ways of seeing & being in the world for a happier, healthier life.

Anyone who’s studied art has been introduced to the concept of perspective through the famous example of train tracks.

The lines start wide in the foreground and get narrower until they join at a point in the distance.

Things far away look small.

Things close by look bigger.

It’s most evident with lines like in the bridges, paths, or rows of palm trees in these photos. But if you look at the first shot, it’s also why the pagoda between the palm trees is so small.

This week, play with taking pictures of perspective with both roads and train tracks, but also with objects like I did with the train and the flowers.

Have you ever set a goal, but it looked so far away that you had a hard time reaching it?

Here’s a fun visualization exercise to make your goals more attainable.

Close your eyes (after you finish reading the instructions, of course), and jump ahead to the achievement of your goal.

That’s right, take a huge leap, run, teletransport, or fly there, but visualize yourself standing at the finish line.

See your goal in its full size, not as a tiny point in the distance. Admire and celebrate its details: what you see, how it makes you feel, etc.

Then, once you’ve seen it close-up, turn around and imagine all the tiny steps you took along the way to get there.

You’re already there, so you don’t need to feel like there’s so great a distance to travel. But looking back can help you break down the journey into inspired steps.

Let that feeling and those inspired actions bring you there faster and easier than if you were looking at your goal from the other end.

This is as effective for getting the dishes done (imagining standing in a sparkly clean kitchen), for reaching your ideal weight or finishing a huge project.

Remember, we learn best by teaching. Writing this series has been a great refresher for me!

Share your photos of perspective on your social media and how your visualizations are helping you. You too can inspire others to open to new ways of seeing & being in the world.

Thanks for spreading your love of beauty & the beauty of love.

Happy journeys!

Welcome to Spiritual Photo Tip 16 – Contrast – opening new ways of seeing and being in the world.

Our eyes are naturally drawn to contrast  – of shades of colour, of light/dark, of texture, of symbolic/philosophic value, etc.

As you walk through your day, both indoors and outdoors, see if you can’t find contrasts that strike your fancy.

Here are some of the ones that caught my attention.

Enjoy the collection, clicking on an image to see it full-screen and using the arrow to navigate to the next one.

Reflect on which contrast I was focusing on. It could be more than one. Awareness is key to your finding contrast in your world.

 

I’m a woman of contrast. I know and accept that about myself. I call it balance.

• I’m a health food nut & a chipaholic.
• I’m an introvert who thrives in hermit mode & an enthusiastic teacher / speaker who loves talking to large crowds
• I’m a professional dog therapist & behaviour therapist who’s never lived with a dog
• I’m a total movie buff who thrives on time in nature
• My wardrobe either consists of thrift store pieces or high end Kaliyana Artwear.
• I resist change and I’ve lived on 3 continents & 5 provinces.

Go figure! I find these quirks & characteristics are part of what makes me me.

Are you a man/woman of contrast? 

Do these cause discomfort or have you embraced your complexity? 

Is the contrast born of a conflict between what you feel you should do or others’ expectations and who you truly are?

It’s important to be able to discern that as you align everything in your life to your Highest Good.

My 2 extremes in wardrobe is due to the fact that I spend a good part of my time in the studio painting. When I go out, I love to dress up in this designer’s art that I’ve been buying since the late 80s.

My studies in canine behaviour therapy & training came from a desire to better understand dogs & spend time with them even though my lifestyle wouldn’t have been fair to a dog at the time. One day, that may change.

My hermit/public speaker dichotomy lies in my being an introvert who also thrives on stage – but needs serious recharging time in between.

My trust in my intuitive guidance is stronger than my resistance to change – when guided, I feel the fear and do it anyway, having experienced how wonderful it is to grow beyond my comfort zones.

What about you? Are your contrast healthy or unhealthy? Are they the source of inner conflicts?

See if you can’t come up with a list of 10 contrasts in your life.

Then, decide if you can embrace these as part of your unique expression of the Divine or if there’s something that requires attention & transformation.

Welcome to Spiritual Photo Tip 14 – opening new ways of seeing, understanding, and being in the world.

We live in a world of shapes: circles, squares, rectangles, triangles, hearts, diamonds, octagons, stars, etc.

Making it your mission to photograph these shapes in both man-made structures and nature is a fun project.

These shapes can be real or implied, like in the triangle found in the river current below.

Soon, you’ll see which shape calls you most often.

 

If you’re familiar with my paintings, you’ll no doubt know that I’m big on circles & spirals.

From massive to minuscule, we’re surrounded by circles; from the glowing orbs in the sky and the planet we live on to oranges and dew drops.

Circles are symbols of unity, cycles, wholeness, inclusion, the universe. They’re formed from the soft curves of femininity – of the womb, of creation.

And the eyes with which we witness all this beauty are themselves concentric circles – round windows to the world & to our souls.

The sacred spiral is an even more powerful symbol for me than the circle. That’s why it’s part of my logo.

Spirals are symbolic of the movement inward from Source and then outwards from the soul. They represent centering, balance, awareness, progress, evolution, expansion, and journeying.

In her book The Mystic Spiral: Journey of the Soul, author Jill Purce remarks,

“The spiral tendency within each one of us is the longing for and growth toward wholeness. Every whole is cyclic, and has a beginning, a middle, and end. It starts from a point, expands and differentiates, contracts and disappears into the point once more. Such a pattern is that of our lifetime and may well be that of our universe.”

Which shape calls you? 

Are you into squares, triangles, diamonds, stars, etc. Pay attention to what catches your attention as you walk through your day with or without a camera.

Then spend time reflecting on what that shape represents for you. There are likely clues there for your life’s journey. See how you can use this symbol to shape your life.

You can also explore my favourite symbolism website to search for more universal meanings for this shape.

Then start doodling it, photographing it, shaping it, choosing it. Have fun with it! 

It’s yet one more tool in your self-awareness to emerge more fully into all that you are.

Welcome to Spiritual Photo Tip 12 – opening new ways of seeing & being in the world all the while taking better photographs.

Lines themselves can make great subjects – whether they’re straight, curved, or in the highly sought sensuous S-Curve.

Lines can lead the eye to your main subject.

They also lead the viewer into the scene, inviting them into your journey.

These lines can be real (solid lines) or implied (in the features of the landscape).

Take a look at the photo at the top of this post. Can you identify the 8 lines that lead you to the lighthouse? As you contemplate this photo, ask yourself if these lines add to or detract from the image.

I believe this was a rare instance when electrical lines actually enhanced the overall aesthetics.

Now go slowly through the gallery below to observe the various kinds of lines and how they influence your eye and your heart into the scene. If you’re on a laptop, click the first image and use the arrow to see each one full size.

That last shot of the Christmas lights at the MUN Botanical Garden in St. John’s, NL was created with an SLR camera, zooming while taking the photo at a slow shutter speed.

Now lets look at the opening lines in your conversations with yourself and with others.

Where do they lead?

Ask your Inner Observer to notice the first words you say to yourself when you wake up in the morning.

What are the opening lines that lead you into your day? 

Are they lines of regret, complaint, dread, excitement, joy, or gratitude?

Can you see how you’re actively creating that day through those thoughts?

According to one of my spiritual mentors, Abraham Hicks, you have 17 seconds to set the pace of your day. 

And if that snowballs to 68 seconds (17 x 4), you’ve created the vibrational pull for the Law of Attraction to kick in.

Like attracts like any time of the day. But your vibration in those first 17 seconds are the most powerful.

So first, be aware. Then, if necessary, do something to change those engrained lines in your way of thinking, making new lines to lead you into a happier, healthier life. You’ve got 17 seconds to do so!

How do you start your conversations with others? 

Do people avoid you because they know the first words out of your mouth will be some sort of criticism, scolding, negativity, gossip, or nagging?

Or do they smile seeing you because they know you’ll have something delightful, constructive, or loving to share?

Basically, do your opening lines lead to a blocked or open heart? 

You’ve no doubt experienced your inner reactions to your partner saying “We have to talk”. The tone of voice will influence the feelings those words inspire. They can certainly lead active imaginations to fear the worst.

It’s true, you can’t be responsible for how others react to you or your words – that will largely depend on their past experiences. But you may have had something to do with shaping those experiences.

So why not say something like:

• “Hi. I’ve got a great idea to share with you. Do you have time to talk?”
• “Wonderful. I was looking for you. I’m experiencing an inner conflict and I’d love to hear your perspective.”
• “I’m in the process of making some decisions that may impact our holidays. Do you have time to hear what I’m thinking about?”
• “I’ve made some fear-based assumptions that are eating me up. I’d love your help getting clarity. Is this a good time to talk?”
• or a variety of other leading lines.

For the next while, pay attention to how you start your conversation with others, especially those closest to you. Pay attention to the qualities of your leading lines – word choices, tone of voice, feelings before starting, and timing.

How are you bringing other people into your picture? What kind of picture are you co-creating with those opening & leading lines?

The best way to learn something is to teach it.

I’m reinforcing both my photography & personal growth skills by sharing this Spiritual Photo Tip Series with you.

By practicing photographing lines this week, you’ll be reminded of what you read here, reinforcing exploration & expression of your love of beauty and the beauty of love. 

So please share your photos and your self-observations with your friends, adding both love & beauty in the world.

And I always welcome comments below.

May you become the conscious creator you were meant to be. Peace be with you!

 

This isn’t true of everywhere in the world, but where I live, eye contact is highly valued.  It establishes connection, trust, honesty, attention and care.

Growing up as a shy introvert, this was tough for me. It’s ironic that years later, it became part of the skills I taught in my English as a Second Language / Foreign Language classes. That along with firm handshakes.

No matter if you’re taking selfies or creating portraits, eye contact (and expression as a whole) is important.

It doesn’t mean that a subject looking away isn’t equally powerful. It’s just different, as shown in these 3 portraits of me by the Czech photographer Christine Radnich.

What’s important IF you’re doing an eye-contact shot is that you tell your subject where to look (the lens and not the screen on a smart phone.

By the way, the best location to take a portrait is in the shade to avoid harsh shadows under the eye and nose. That also reduces the chances of squinting.

If the sun is behind them, force your flash to fill-in the face with light or tap on the person on the screen of your smart phone to tell your camera where to focus.

If the sun is in their face, have them look down and count them in to lift/open their eyes. 

For animals, it isn’t as easy (although they’re definitely less critical of the results).

Make a high pitch squeal and have your camera ready at your mouth/ eye level to have them look in the lens.

If you’re in an environment where that would be disturbing to the animal or others, talk to them telepathically. Trust me, they understand if you communicate with pictures in your mind. I recently had a crow jump from a bush to the top of a pole after I politely asked it to do so. But when I asked it to turn around for a better composition, it thought I was exaggerating and flew away.

What you’re trying to get is that catchlight in their eyes – that little white dot that adds life to an image. Again, forcing your flash even in daytime might achieve that if there’s no natural catchlight.

It also establishes a connection between the person looking at the picture and God’s creature – something that is so often sought out by humans as with the cat, dogs, or squirrel in these photos…. or dreaded, like with the giant fruit bat hanging outside a restaurant in Bali.

Eye contact is not essential for a great person or animal portrait, of course, but it is powerful.

As you can see with the bluejays, eye contact between subjects is great too.

This week, pay particular attention to both your eye contact with others and the eye contact between those around you – in real life or in the movies.

The eyes express so much. Are you sensing a smile through those eyes or anger, threat, concern, etc.

Play with both people and animal portraiture. Discover the truth & beauty in those eyes. See if you can’t pierce through the shyness or awkwardness to seeing through the eyes of your soul into the eyes of theirs.

And if you’re feeling particularly open or brave, here’s a great trust exercise. Sit with a willing stranger or friend and breathe into relaxation. Simply gaze into each others’ eyes until the facial features become a blur and you’re connected on an energetic, heart to heart, soul to soul level.

I’ve done this several times in spiritual and theatre workshops. It’s powerful!