Photography and Mental Health

In November 2021 I had the great honor of being able to take on the Newcastle Photography Group as an instructor. The way it came about was very accidental. I found an advertisement on a recruitment website for a photography instructor to teach in and around Newcastle and applied for the job on the off chance that I might get an interview. I wasn’t really expecting very much to come of it. Just a week later I was invited to a zoom interview where they said that they liked my portfolio and would I be able to start immediately. After months of having no work due to the covid restrictions I was very excited to be able to start working as a photography instructor and did not expect it to take off in quite the way that it has. I was very pleasantly surprised when my first class based around the Newcastle Quayside sold really well with seven people booked. I was incredibly nervous and found myself having a fantastic time teaching some very basic photography skills to some complete beginner photographers, many of which had never used manual settings on their DSLR cameras before. Not only did I really enjoy this session, but I received some really lovely reviews which gave me the courage to continue and create more lesson plans for sessions. As I was choosing subjects to cover, I knew that I wanted to be using my own images to advertise the sessions so, started to head out, just me and the camera to start creating some content. I was starting to reconnect with some different photography genres that I hadn’t spent time working on for many years, and as I was working on these I started to notice my mental health improving after a couple of years of being very ill.

Exercising and the Great Outdoors

There is definitely something about being in the great outdoors that is very beneficial not just for your physical health, but is very good for your mental health. The many advocates of exercise will tell you that physical activity that gets your heart rate up a little is brilliant for helping manage the symptoms of depression, and many people do use exercise as a way of treating their depression. Science says that this is because our bodies start to release dopamine at a more consistent rate which effectively works as a natural antidepressant. From experience I can testify that there is far more to it than that. It would be very easy to do an exercise routine at home in your living room, but it doesn’t have quite the same effect as going into the great outdoors.

There is something about being outdoors that sit so well with the soul. I have always been my happiest when I’ve been outdoors. There is a reason why I have done the majority of portrait photography outdoors over the last few years. Not only does nature produce a stunning natural backdrop to any photo, but being out in it is the best natural medicine. When I go to the woods for a weekend of camping with my brothers, I come home smelling of woodsmoke and feeling completely refreshed despite doing my fair share of work around camp. When I’m camping, I even eat a lot less food and that is with the increased physical activity. I’m less likely to binge on chocolate and other not so good things for me. I’m not chasing that dopamine rush I get from indulging in my favorite foods. I go to bed tired each night and sleep well on a mat in a tent. When I am out with the camera in nature, this relaxation is taken to another level.

Slowing Down and Observing

You’ve heard the idea of mindfulness being use a lot over the last few years. It is usually about meditation, and we are able to do something similar when we are behind the camera. When we have a camera we are able to focus on a workflow. We are thinking about the composition of the photo, what we need to do with the settings to get the best exposure, and finally focusing on our subject. When we are focusing on the moment and subject in front of us, we are able to temporarily forget about our everyday problems, choosing something that instead is far more simple.

In the Woodland

Next time you are in the woods, observe and notice the way the light comes through the branches, an the light dances around you. Notice the small patch of bluebells which are scattered around the woodland. Notice the way the light catches the water by a stream and the way the water moves. Notice the tiny woodland creatures that call this place home.

At the Beach

Next time you are at the beach, observe and notice the way the waves move over the sand and the rocks. Notice the shapes the waves make as the crash towards the seawall. Notice the rainbow of colours that can be found within the sand and rocks. Notice the rockpools and the amazing range tiny creatures that call them home. Notice the way your feet feel in the sand and how the sand maps your journey.

Playing in the Park

When you next at the park spend some time near the water and observe and notice the way the light reflects in the ripples as a fish pops up. Notice how the water birds interact with each other and their environment. Notice the beautiful colours that can be seen in the green head of a mallard duck and the way the water droplets sit on his body.

Something you’ll often notice about the photography I do to simply relax is that it is often near water. For me, the water has to be living. What I mean by living is that is has to be movement in some way. It could be birds swimming on the surface, waves crashing against the pier I’m sitting on, or a waterfall. Stagnant water is dead water and doesn’t have any interests for me. Each person will be different in which environment is able to relax them the most. It could even be sitting outside your favourite café, people watching. It could be sitting by a crackling fire with a group of people. Just as we are all completely individual, we all find different environments sit well with our soul. My heaven is likely very different to your heaven, but when you’ve worked out what that is, the photographic process then becomes the same.

Art Therapy

Art has often been used as a type of therapy. When we struggle with our mental health, art therapy is a great tool to quieten the busy mind and provide an outlet for our emotions and to use for healing or personal wellbeing.. It provides us with a sensation of being able to do something simply for ourselves. When we are suffering with depression and anxiety along with any other mental health challenges, we often experience a drop in confidence and that we have nothing to offer By simply choosing to pick up our cameras for just a few moments we are able to get lost in something that we love which is not only great for defeating that feeling of not being able to do anything, but seeing the end result can help with a small confidence boost and sense of achievement.

Sense of Achievement

A sense of achievement is amazing for tackling anxiety and depression. When you arrive home with a card full of cards, there is definitely a sense of achievement We are able to look back on the simple moments in much more detail than if we were to look at them with the naked eye. When looking at the feathers on a bird, we are able to admire the minute details and rainbows of colours that the light produces when it hits the feather in just the right way. Knowing that you’ve be able to capture something so delicate and so beautiful can help to detach us from complication and responsibilities of life, improving our mood.

Booking a Session

If you would like to explore the threptic aspects of photography, I would love to meet you and have you on one of our sessions. We have a wide range of subjects to chose from and there is something suitable for everyone from landscape photography, to street photography, to portrait photography. Feel free to join me on a session either somewhere in Northumberland or somewhere in and around Newcastle Upon Tyne. Feel free to head to the Learn Photography page for a list of sessions I am curranty covering. I hope to meet you soon.