Contemplative photography is an approach to truly seeing and photographing the world with fresh eyes, emphasizing direct perception of “what is” opposed to evaluation and judgement. Just being with the senses.
I had the beauty of engaging in this practice with dear friends and colleagues years ago as a part of a mindfulness group, and I want to share my love of this practice with others (and reinvigorating this practice for myself). This practice is an extension of mindfulness, and invites us to connect deeply with our surroundings and capture moments as they truly are.
I don’t do this practice “perfectly” - but perhaps that’s the point. It is an ongoing opportunity to grow, expand, and contemplate what life really is.
A little light
Since I have been spending most of my hours laying in this bed staring at the ceiling, I really allowed myself to come back to the moment and observe. I noticed the shadow from “the little light” and the textures and differences in shadows just from this light.
“Puppy cuddles”
It’s been a few days!
This evening is full of rain and thunder - which means cozy time inside. Appreciating the presence of this pup (Arnold).
“I’m scared of owls”
Here me out.
My almost 4 year-old right now is scared of owls. It’s a long story, but she saw the owl scene when watching homeward bound (A childhood relic, which may have been a bit too much for her we admit) And it was creepy and scary. So she has been asking to see videos of owls and asking a lot of questions about them. She is also having bad dreams about owls, like this morning when she woke up really scared because of owls in her dream.
Maybe it was just owls on the mind, but in this reflection when I took a mindful moment just to be present while doing chores in the kitchen, I thought I saw an owl! The reflection from the lights, with a little shadowing in the middle that kind of looks like a beak.
Maybe you don’t see it and it’s just me, and that’s OK. But what an interesting thing my brain is thinking. Very curious to just observe.
“Purse on the gym floor”
Self explanatory. 😊 just mindfully waiting for roller derby to start 🛼
“In the Office”
Thursdays are my in office days. Grateful for an office, and also noticed the corner of the table - the straight edges and shadows caught my eye this morning.
“Fuzzy Light”
Laying here with a dumb cartoon on, I took a moment to appreciate the sun coming through the window, illuminating the plants 🪴
“In bloom”
Caught the sight of this plant blooming. I’ve taken a liking to plants and gardening over the last year and a half; I love how it challenges my ideas of perfect and cultivate a deep appreciation for imperfection.
“Summertime”
Busting out the corn cob holders from my childhood. These ceramic dishes are decades old, made by grandma. The dishes contain the sensory memories of summer dinners and fresh corn on the cob 🌽
“Patterns”
Appreciating the grain of wood on each of these stairs. And the way the right highlights the left side (And the dust and dog hair collecting on the stair tread).
“Stegosaurus Tail”
It’s the contrast of textures - the bumpy rubber to the ridges of the blanket.
“Dashboard”
Driving to see family today, and just noticed the texture of the dashboard. The shadow, the contrasts - there is a lot to take in.
