Photo: Wendy Milner
Longfield Community Hospice gallery
Like with Maggie’s, due to Covid 19 related restrictions, we were not able to run this course face to face and offered a 4-week mindful photography course online instead. Although different, the experience was very meaningful and beneficial. See the preliminary impact findings from the evaluation carried out by the University of Gloucestershire.
Six people took part including the Activities Coordinator and two volunteers. Four of the participants have chosen to showcase their work here.
See here for more information about Longfield Community Hospice.
Sharing our photos on a Zoom call.
Angela Pearce
I have got so much from doing this course, combining photography with mindfulness has worked so well for me. I have always loved photography, when I was young, my Dad and I used to develop our own photos, he was a photo engraver by trade. With all that is going on in my life at the moment, this has really helped me see how I can use photography to help when things are difficult, a very useful tool.
Tatia Nichols-Arlés
Tree Eye. We were encouraged to really take notice as part of the course. On my daily dog walk I spotted this knot in the tree which seemed to be looking back at me as I, in turn examined it.
We’re All Connected. While walking my dogs in the woods, this stopped me in my tracks. In particular the way the trees are echoing the weaving of the fence. I’m not sure I would have noticed this had I not been being mindful and in the moment.
Autumn Snack. One of the themes of the course was curiosity. When I took this photo, I wanted to know the story behind it. What creature has been eating this apple? It has a fairytale element to me as it sits abandoned in the fresh wood chips.
Boundaries. We were asked to look at where the natural world and the human world meet. This shot for me encapsulates nature’s attitude towards human boundaries.
Shadow Tits. The theme here was to tell something of ourselves and our story. In this photo I feel I’ve captured a bit of my sense of humour.
Short Stack. In the course, we were encouraged to really pay attention - even to what we might usually perceive as ugly.
Wendy Milner
These are three photos from the course sessions, three from my own wanderings. The top three are called ‘Trapped’ and the bottom three, ‘Hearts’. You realise beauty is everywhere when you take the time to to look more closely at even the mundane and ugly things you encounter during your day.
Zoe Bates
The pictures I have chosen are a brief alternative portrait of my life through my hands and what they do. I loved this concept and will find it a useful theme on future photography projects and finding new ways of seeing things around me. I really have learnt to look again at the everyday; to find joy in what I do and take time for what I need each day.