Welcome to the last of my Spiritual Photo Tips – #19 Motion. 

I truly hope this series has opened you to new ways of seeing and being in the world.

There are many ways to capture and even create motion with your camera. 

The most common is to photograph something that’s moving at a high shutter speed.

This is also the daylight default on smart phones.

It’s like a moment suspended in time. 

The alternative is to shoot it at a slow shutter speed so that the photo is being created while the subject keeps on moving.

If you’re on a tripod, the surrounding will be in clear focus while the subject in movement becomes blurry.

Take this example of running water. The image on the left is a freeze frame and the one on the right was shot at a slower speed using a tripod.

Which do you prefer?

I’d say 90% of my students over the years have preferred the freeze frame. Perhaps its’ because that’s what they’re used to seeing. I prefer the silky smooth water.

I’m not sure if most smartphones  allow you to do this, but with newer iPhones, take a photo in Live (shooting a wider frame than you want) and once it’s taken, swipe up on the screen and choose the Long Exposure mode to the right. It won’t be as sharp as with an SLR on tripod, but great for social media.

Traditional panning is used a lot in action photography like sports and wildlife.

Imagine the photographer following a race car as it crosses his vision from left to right. His camera is also panning from left to right at the same speed, keeping the car at relatively the same spot in the frame. When he takes the picture, the car is in perfect focus but the background is all blurry. You need a very fast lens to be able to do this right.

I’m terrible with this technique. Looking through a lot of my albums, the best examples I could find (and they’re not great) are the shot of the puffin in flight and the show jumper at the Vienna Masters in 2013.

Non-traditional panning, however, is one of my favourite ways to play with my camera. This, to me, is art!

The opening image to this post is a perfect example (one of my favourite photos of all time).

The subject doesn’t have to be moving. You are. You’re dancing while moving the camera around.

You can pan in a straight line – from up to down, down to up, sideways or at a diagonal. See how some of the trees below lose their features, becoming more painterly?

You need to use a slower shutter speed. Play with speeds on your SLR until you get the effect that you want.

You can also dance by making tiny circles or wide arcs with your lens while you shoot.  Dance away!

Click through this collection one at a time, using the arrow to navigate between full-screen shots to detect the direction and shape of my movements.

If you look closely, you’ll notice the pattern in the colours or light.

I’ve accidentally done a few of these with my smartphone while accidentally clicking the shutter while putting it away in my pocket. But I haven’t explored the possibilities, saving this technique for my SLR.

You can also zoom with your SLR lens on a slower shutter speed to create streaks of motion.

The subject may have been perfectly still, but the effect isn’t.

Usually, the subject ends up dead centre in the image. I’ll sometimes crop after the fact for better composition.

Zooming can be used for visual effect or for storytelling.

For example, the graffiti artist below asked that I not show his face in my photo. So using this technique created a bit of mystery and camouflage for his illegal activity.

Your thoughts and emotions create momentum in your life. What you focus on expands.

You’re creating momentum with every choice to focus on one thing or another. The Law of Attraction is at the heart of momentum.

It’s important to learn how to build momentum the right way, and to know what to do when momentum is going in the opposite direction of your desires.

One of my favourite teachers on this topic is Abraham, channeled through Esther Hicks. 

“One day’s focus is enough momentum for you to allow anything you want to flow into your experience.”

Here’s a 10-minute coaching session on being the conscious creator you were meant to be.

If you want more, just type in the keywords “Abraham Hicks” and “Momentum” in YouTube and you’ll be inspired for hours.

As you capture or create motion with your camera, reflect on the power of momentum.

No matter if you’re allowing your positive momentum to sweep you faster towards your desires or starting positive momentum from scratch first thing in the morning, may your beliefs, thoughts, and emotions move you forward on your Path to your Highest Good.

Thank you for accompanying me over the past 38 weeks as we explored & expressed our love of beauty and the beauty of love through my 19 Spiritual Photo Tips. You can access them all via the INDEX in my Free Resources.

Happy shooting! Happy living!

Namaste

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 15 – opening new ways of seeing and being in the world.

Repeated patterns make for interesting photography. You’ll find them in nature as well as in the man-made world around you. These can be repeated lines, shapes, colours, objects & reflections.

As you explore & express your love of beauty this week, look for repeated patterns to share through your photographs.

Here are some examples from my travels. Even the square tiles of a Bali parking lot caught my attention. What catches yours?

Now lets look at the repeated patterns in your life.

Habits are formed by repeating a behaviour over and over again until it becomes automatic.

Some of your good habits may have been formed consciously through parental coaching and the achievement of your goals.

Alas, some of your bad habits were also formed through repetition, but perhaps unconsciously.

Looking at your life, what would you name as some of your good habits? List 12.

Examples:

• daily flossing
• walking 30 minutes a day
• weekly planning
• family game night
• morning meditation.
• etc.

Reflect on how your good habits became habits.

Now make a list of 12 bad habits. 

Examples:

• overeating
• Netflix binging
• working 7 days a week
• procrastination
• sitting for too long
• etc.

Go through this list and decide which one(s) you want to change and how you’ll go about doing it. 

Start by repeating the opposite or a healthier habit in its stead.

For example, if you’re like me and can sit working at the computer or on a painting for 8 hours straight, put a timer on to chime every hour to dance, stretch or walk downstairs to get a glass of water.

If you’re in the habit of eating junk food when you’re hungry, form a new habit of buying & making healthy snacks and meals that are ready before you get hungry.

I’ve often heard that it takes 21 days to form a habit. But my research today reveals that this is a myth.

According to this scientific-based article, it takes more than 2 months before a new behaviour becomes automatic — 66 days to be exact.

To motivate yourself, put a couple of calendar pages up on the wall and give yourself a sticker for every day you exercise a good behaviour until you feel its a part of you.

If you revert to an old pattern, keep loving yourself, but start counting at zero again until you reach 66.

Or plan a very special reward for once you’ve completed the 66 days. Just don’t make a date to go to an all-you-can-eat buffet if overeating was the bad habit you wanted to change…. hee hee.

Welcome to Spiritual Photo Tip 13 – opening new ways of seeing & being in the world all the while taking better pictures.

The world around you is tactile – inviting you to connect with it through touch.

When was the last time you consciously ran your fingers through the grass,  rubbed your cheek against the velvety soft fur of a puppy, or licked the smooth skin of an apple before biting into it?

As explained in Spiritual Photo Tip 1, adding close ups to your albums will give your viewers better context for your experience, broadening their own.

Adding texture as a subject for your close-ups not only adds variety to the kinds of shots in your collection, but also invites people closer in to almost feel the world through your eyes.

It also adds mystery. I’ve had people linger on a photo for a long time trying to figure out what it is.

Plus, the world of textures can be so attractive – be it of man made or natural design. Photographing texture helps us to slow down and take notice of the miracles that surround us.

Peruse this collection one photo at a time (click to see full screen) and observe your inner experience as it changes.

Then walk around your world to capture & share your own. Don’t be afraid to touch it too (with permission when appropriate), to see how it feels. Have fun with this!

I have very sensitive skin,  so I’m picky about the clothes I buy – often organic cotton or soft fleeces. My winter coat feels like I’m wearing a teddy bear. I’m big into comfort!

I’m also sensitive to chaos & conflict, so I’ve created a life conducive to peace. It’s still a work in progress, but I’m enjoying creating my life by design.

What kind of life have you created for yourself?

If you were to use your energy-sensing hands over your life, would you enjoy its varied textures? 

Is your road bumpy, friend slimy, goal fuzzy, relationship rocky, or health gritty?

Are your days smooth, sleeps feathery, deserts creamy, bank accounts fluffy, hobbies glossy?

Is there enough variety in the texture of your weeks or do you find the repetition boring?

Is there too much drama or could you use a bit more to spice things up?

Do the textures of your life suit your preferences, desires & needs?

What came to heart or to mind as you read through this section?

What can you do to change or better appreciate the texture of your life?

Spend time journaling or reflecting on how to create your life by design.

And as always, share your photos & observations with your family & friends to improve the texture of their lives too.

Colour has a language of its own.

It awakens, soothes, reminds, and speaks a whole gamut of emotions.

The way you use colour in your photos, wardrobe, home and your life can have a significant impact. You don’t have to understand it to feel it.

Welcome to Spiritual Tip 11 on colour – opening new ways of seeing and living your world..

I’m not going to go deep into the theory of colour psychology or therapy.

Instead,  I’ll give you a few basics and an invitation to experience it for yourself.

As an artist and naturopath, I’m constantly working with the energy of colour. The more you feel it, the more you’ll understand it on a level that counts.

Take your time by clicking on one image and scrolling one at a time to really feel its effect. Please don’t rush this!

Know that you’re receiving the energy of the subject, but part of that energy is coming through on the wave lengths of colour.

In this first collection, colour is the very subject of the image.

At times it’s the magnificent array of them that caught my eye.  At others it was the impact of a tiny bit of colour in an otherwise neutral scene.

Notice also how some feature bright colours while others are in pastels.

Do you prefer one over the other? How does each make you feel?

Your life is a work of art.

The way you live, the way you dress, the way you decorate your home and your plate represents a choice in colour.

Some people thrive on drama and excitement. Others on peace & quiet.

What about you? Do you prefer neutrals with a splash of colour or the excitement of the full spectrum.

If your life doesn’t reflect your preference, see how you can add or reduce the amount or nature of colour in it.

When you put colours that are opposite on the colour wheel together, it excites the senses. This is the power of difference!

In my culture, the combination of red & green often symbolize Christmas – a happy time of celebration in the middle of a white winter. It’s no accident that this combination was chosen to market this holiday.

Look at these pictures, then look around you for example of the use of complimentary colours.

What feelings do they bring out in you? Do you like that feeling? If so, add more complimentary colours in your photography, wardrobe, home & office.

They say that opposites attract. Take a look at your relationships. Are they fuelled by the excitement of differences?

Or do you prefer a more monochromatic approach. Let ‘s dive into that below as you continue to reflect on your way of seeing & being in the world.

The word monochrome literally means “one colour”.  A monochrome photograph basically has one colour, but many shades of it.

You can also stretch that to include colours that are very close to each other on the colour wheel – including the colours between those on the simplistic wheel above – for example blue-green, magenta, red-orange, etc.

Let’s explore the power of sameness.

As you do, also feel the impact of that particular colour scheme. Each has a different symbolism – some universal, some personal. Cool colours (greens, blues, purples) will have one effect on you.  Warm colours (reds, oranges, yellows), will have another.

You can read more online about the meaning & symbolism of various colours, but I encourage you to read your own heart first as you scroll one at a time through this collection of monochromatic images.

There’s great beauty in finding your tribe – like-minded people who share various commonalities.

Where in your life are you experiencing the power of sameness?

Colour choices definitely have an effect on the mood of the photo.

Light can be uplifting. Dark touches the soul in it’s own beautiful or troubling way.

Feel your way through this collection before answering the questions below.

Do you honour the beauty of both the light & dark in your life?

As we value day & night, so too should we recognize the value of of our shadows, our moods, our challenges. They offer us gifts and opportunities to emerge more fully into who we truly are.

This is part of the practice of loving what is – in yourself & others.

I never thought it would happen, but a few years back, I got tired of wearing so much black.

I decided that black with a splash of colour was OK, but wearing more bright colours better suited the mood I wanted to frame myself in and offer to others.

Pastels don’t cut it for me. But vivid colours do. That’s reflected in my paintings as well as my wardrobe.

Interestingly, I prefer a peaceful neutral life with splashes of colour. I’m way too sensitive to run on constant excitement.

Today, you’ve experienced and reflected on the impact of colour. Continue exploring this through your photographs, relationships, wardrobe, and lifestyle.

Be the inspiration you were meant to be. If you got any aha moments, please share them here in the comments below. Then spread love & beauty in the world through your shared reflections & photos.