CREATIVITY EXERCISE FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS: Slowing Down

When I first sat down to write this tutorial, I intended it to be a creative exercise for photographers. But the more I wrote, the more I realised these exercises can be pretty useful for mindfulness for everyone (and maybe extra useful for those of us in lockdown...again!).

These exercises are all about SLOWING DOWN to be present in the moments and using our senses to be aware of what is happening all around us. To notice not just the obvious and to find inspiration everywhere.

There is always a lot happening all around us (even in the quiet), and so many things go unnoticed. We get caught up in our routines of making lunches, getting the kids out the door, bath time, storytime, bedtime, work, work, work, etc, etc, etc and everything in between! Tunnel vision takes over and all we see is right in front of us while our minds are already ten steps ahead onto the next thing.

The same happens when we pick up camera. It's all too easy to only see the moment happening right in front of us. We rush to make sure we capture it, and we shoot it and shoot it and shoot it, hyper focused on just this one thing that we miss so many other moments.

But what if we were to SLOW DOWN and really pay attention? What if we were fully present in the moment? What if we used our senses to guide us? How much more would we see?

Here are two exercises to help, one for indoors and one for outdoors:

INDOORS

Find the busiest room in your home (prossibly your living room or kitchen) and find a place to get comfy for five minutes. Grab a chair, sit on the sofa, lay on the floor - whatever is most comfortable for you. Now, set a timer for five minutes and close your eyes. The key here is to be mindful and really pay attention to you senses. Don't start thinking about all the things you still need to do today or start making a mental shopping list. Instead, pay attention to what you hear, what you smell, what you feel.

Maybe it's the rain hitting the window, or the warm afternoon sun touching your toes. A car driving by in the distance. The kids running around upstairs. The coffee brewing, the toast burning, the dinner simmering. The soft blanket you're laying on or the hard wooden floors you're sitting on. The technology beeping away or the dishwashing washing.

Once your timer goes off, open your eyes, but don't get up yet. Now look around. REALLY look around. Don't just look to see the obvious of what is happening in front of you. Can you see all those things you noticed with your eyes closed???

Now you can get your camera and let your senses guide your photos. How can you capture that fresh coffee smell, or the rain on the window? How can you capture the softness of the blanket or your children's feet in the distance?

To challenge yourself further and really tune into your senses, do the exercise again in the quietest room in the house.

OUTDOORS

Find a time in the day when you can go out for a walk by yourself. It doesn't have to be anywhere fancy or very long - a walk around the block or simply down the street for a few minutes is fine.

Take your headphones off, turn your music and podcasts off, and don't bring your camera. This is just you on a walk using your senses. Look around, REALLY look around. What do you see? What do you hear? What do you smell? What do you feel?

Is it the wind in the trees or the leaves crunching underfoot. The sunlight reflecting off a house window or the clouds in the sky. Children's laughter or road noise. Fresh flowers or bees buzzing. The shade of green of the garden shed, or the zig zap shape of the path you're walking on.

When you get home, grab your camera and retrace your steps. Rather than just pointing and shooting at everything and anything, remember to slow down and let your senses guide you. Remember what you just noticed without your camera. Now make your photos.