Is Photography Good for Improving Mental Health?

As November draws to a close, the days are getting shorter, the weather is often cold and wet and our moods can sometimes follow suit! My wife has been a counsellor for the last 18 years and in my previous job I was a trained Mental Health First Aider so it shouldn’t be a surprise that I’m a great believer in the benefits that photography can bring to wellness and improving or maintaining good mental health.

When an activity requires complete absorption in the moment, it can become a little easier to let the worries disappear into the background, even just for a moment or two. Photography provides that absorption as you are framing the composition, checking in all four corners of the viewfinder to watch for that rogue blade of grass, keeping an eye on the light to see if it is changing, checking the white balance setting is right, deciding on aperture size to give just the right amount of blur, setting the shutter speed and ISO, checking the exposure metre as it moves up and down with the changes in surrounding light, checking your focus …and so on and so on with the myriad of other things running through your head as you prepare to press the shutter!

Combine that absorption in the task at hand with the sense of peace that being outside in nature, especially in the beautiful Highlands of Perthshire (I’m biased of course!), can bring and I believe you have the perfect union. Even on rainy and wintry days, beauty can be found in many places so don’t let a spot of drizzle dampen your spirit! If you can’t see far enough to get a great landscape shot, go for a walk in the woods with your macro gear instead…not only can you get some shelter from the rain whilst in the trees, you’ll have lots of opportunities to capture rain drops amongst the leaves and lichen.

Also, look carefully and you can find great examples of hope triumphing in the face of adversity…

Of course, while it is really satisfying to combine the science of capturing light and mastering your camera with the art of framing the nature around you, remember occasionally to have the “snow leopard moment” (credit to “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”). Pause, put the camera down for a moment, breathe and enjoy taking in your surroundings. Look at the colour, the shapes, the tones and the area around you. Stop moving and listen to the sounds of nature, whether it’s a buzzard flying overhead, a deer in the distance or the calls of the many birds in the trees. Let the peace wash over you and breathe.

Soon enough there will be white tops on the mountains for the glorious winter shots but don’t wait until then…get out into nature today and chase the peace and quiet as well as the light…it is invigorating!