Spiritual Photo Tip 1: Context

Who wouldn’t want more love & beauty in their lives?

This spiritual photo tip series is a about a lot more than just taking better pictures.

It’s about opening a new way of seeing the world around you and those in it, including yourself!

Your camera, be it an SLR or your phone, can be a mindfulness tool for a greater appreciation of your environment and humanity.

If that appeals to you, make sure to come back every 2 weeks for the next 9 months.

Each post will start with a basic composition or element of photography tip followed by practical exercises to apply it to your life and the people in it.

Wether you’re taking pictures for your own memory books or to share on social media, it’s good to give your viewer a context.

Go wide, medium, close & closer.

Give people a better idea of where you are. It not only creates variety in your snapshots, but brings people in with you.

I’m a big fan of close-ups. They’ve taught me to slow down and truly look at the world around me – the intricately fascinating details that can only be seen through a long lens or down on your belly.

But if I only shared an album of close-ups, it wouldn’t help my Friends from around the world know where these were taken. I like to give them the full picture of my experiences.

Try it yourself this week – on your walks, in your office, or in a new location. Take at least 4 shots: wide, medium, close, and closer.

Then share them! Let people in to your way of seeing. It’s as unique as you are!

The only way you can be unconditionally loved is if you know you’re being accepted for who you truly are.

And the only way to know that, is if you’re showing who that is to the people around you.

As Dr. Greg Baer explains in his amazing book series on Real Love, you first have to be seen to be accepted and really loved.

If you’re only loved for your masks, then you’ll never really feel loved.

Sure, it may not be appropriate or safe even to divulge your whole truth in certain contexts, but with this week’s spiritual photo tip, I ask you to think about where or with whom you can give a fuller picture of who you are.

First, think about where people already get to see either the big picture or just the close-up details of your life.

Then share a little more about the context of your life: wide (background, history), medium (how you spend or would like to spend your days), close (what’s most important to you), closer  (challenges, opinions, beliefs, feelings).

If people aren’t interested, that’s OK. Move on.

By showing more of the real you in more contexts, you’ll eventually find Real Love: true friends, a loving partner, more understanding colleagues, a closer knit family, etc.

The same is true in reverse.

Where are you so caught up in the details or drama of someone’s life that you’ve forgotten to look at the big picture?

Where in your life are you being asked to take a step back to breathe, regain perspective, and understand why that other person or situation is the way he/she/it is?

Have you asked? Or are you in reaction mode because of how it affects you?

Looking at the context can help give you a better appreciation for that person/situation and open your heart to compassion. 

How can you become unconditionally loving by truly seeing past the masks so that you too can see, accept and love the truth?

By the way, this applies as much to yourself as it does to others. Re-read this section with you in mind/heart.

Photography has taught me so much about being present, slowing down, and truly seeing the beauty around me. It’s everywhere.

I share thousands of nature & travel photos on Flickr & Facebook (my Page & Profile).

Why? It’s one way I honour & celebrate Creation. It’s part of how I explore & express my love of beauty and the beauty of love – my purpose in life.

It’s also inspiring more people to get outdoors for their own wellness walks. And for those that can’t, it’s bringing some of the energetic benefits of nature in to them.

Beauty is healing. It’s inspiring! And beauty breaks can be taken anywhere.

The principles you’ll be learning in this series apply no matter where you are, what type of camera you’re using, or your subject – indoors or outdoors.

But as you can see, it’s about a lot more than just photography.

If you’re looking for beauty, you’ll find it!

So join me for the next 9 months to train yourself into new ways of seeing yourself & the world around you.

Enjoy the transformational journey and remember to share it with your friends too, spreading love & beauty in the world.

P.S. My current home of Newfoundland & Labrador in Canada is rich in natural beauty, but the principles here can be applied to a city street or your backyard. The icebergs featured here were photographed in Twillingate & St. John’s. The other photos were of this past weekend’s hike with my friends Leslie Bridger & Benny Dalton along the East Coast Trail from Cape Spear, the most easterly point of North America.