Meditate Your Way to Better Photography
By Kahli April
Meditation might not be the first thing that comes to mind for improving your photography but let me elaborate.
As an educator, I’m always exploring different approaches to improvement. It fascinates me that we all do things differently and photography is certainly one of those things where there seems to be no “right way” or secret recipe to a perfect image.
As we all know too well, photography is not just about capturing a moment; it’s about capturing emotion, stories, and the essence of that experience.
For us to stand out as a photographer and artists, we have to go beyond technical skills and tap into our creativity. But how can we do this each and every time we pick up our camera? The answer might be meditation – well, a form of it. My take on this doesn’t require a yoga mat or deep breaths, but more, a way of focusing our creativity. At the core of meditation, the skill that is practised is the ability to completely clear the mind and focus, but how do I improve my photography knowing this?
Photo by Kahli April
When you go back through your portfolio of images and revisit your favourites, you’ll often be able to remember what it was like to be there, in that moment you pressed the shutter. Whether it’s the smells, the way the light was, the wind whipping by, or maybe even the chaos of the scene. But I bet viewing your favourite images doesn’t take you back to your overflowing inbox, your grocery list that day or the errands you had to run on the way home. What I found when I looked back at my favourite images was that I was 100% present in that moment – Fully immersed in that exact landscape I was standing in.
I am consumed by the experience and what I am seeing so much that I am 100% present. This is my version of meditating. The more I can be present, the more I create photos that I love.
So, with that said, I wanted to leave this with one simple thing to try. Just one thing that you could go and practise tomorrow to help you move towards creating more images that you love, more often. We’ll label it “Creative Presence” (yes, I did make it up) and it’s my version of meditation.
Photo by Kahli April
Wind – is there a breeze? What is it doing to the trees, grasses and flowers? Is it moving across the water, blowing the snow?
Light – where is it coming from? What position is it to you? Is it illuminating something? Is it flickering or reflecting off anything? What does it look like from the other direction?
Water – Is it flowing in a creek or river or is it falling as rain or spray? Is it perfectly still and creating a reflection?
When you practice this and create time for your mind to slow down, you’ll find yourself noticing interesting elements that you want to photograph. This is what I believe is at the core of improving our photography, beyond the technicalities.
Kahli April is a landscape, adventure and wedding/engagement photographer based in Canmore, AB
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