The Impact

Research from the University of Gloucestershire

The University of Gloucestershire School of Natural & Social Sciences partnered with the project to help evaluate and research the impact of the four mindful photography courses on participants mental health and wellbeing. A full report is now available on the Look Again website. Here is a summary of the initial findings. Massive thanks to Dr Rachel Sumner and Samantha Hughes for your hard work, interest and commitment to this project. (A research report from another Look Again project that the team have evaluated is available here.)

1. All participants reported enjoying the course and deriving many benefits from taking part, such as increased social connection and appreciating an alleviation of anxiety.

”The fact that [the course] came during lockdown was actually a god-send because it’s been very isolating shielding [and] I think it’s been really nice to have something in the week to look forward to where actually you engage with other people.”

”I have to be on call so to speak 24 hours…[by attending the course] I was able to keep the anxiety down because I’m doing something and focusing on something and I’m not listening to that elephant or whatever you call it. I’m listening to the rider. Talking to it. What can I see you know and it helps, it really does.”

”You do the assignment and you suddenly realise that for 10 minutes you haven’t thought about the things that you’ve been worrying about an hour ago.”

2. The response from Ruth in switching the course to online due to Covid was noted as being beneficial, and many participants really appreciated the opportunity to do this in their own space and time.

”It’s been very difficult to get out… so, I’m really grateful for it… I really appreciated [the programme] being on Zoom.”

”It just gives you another way of reaching people who might not necessarily be able to feel well enough to come out. For me it would have been a whole afternoon possibly almost the whole day by the time you’ve travelled and if you’re not feeling well travelling is the last thing you want to do really isn’t it.”

”Because we’re at home I think the photographs showing and sharing are far more personal than they might have been had we been at [the location] which is beautiful so we would have all taken lovely photographs but it would all have been of the lovely interior and of the wood it wouldn’t have been of the things that we’ve got here at home.”

”It’s just a small group so we can really personalise it for each other and I think getting snippets of people’s homes in the background is just nice because actually I’m way more relaxed at home… because it’s my space so you know I’m just kind of sat on the sofa with a blanket over my knees and feeling that yeah it’s like having friends around your home almost… there’s not that competition like there is sometimes in a room if you’re kind of trying to meet everyone.”

3. Enjoyable aspects of the course were noted as being the ability to connect with nature more, and the ability to be more mindful in a way that is accessible and meaningful.

”Somebody took a picture… of the weed, I think when you’re going through difficulties, when you’re going through ill health nature can give you a lot of hope um of the resilience of nature. Um and I think you subconsciously when you’re in nature pick up that resilience and that sense of hope and I think it’s very therapeutic in that way.”

”It was like a little oasis in the week where you’ve got time for yourself and you can put the shutters down around you to just concentrate and just think about that, it was just really lovely, really nice. And it’s made me look at um trying to get in the habit of taking photographs like that more often in a more mindful way rather than rushing through doing different things. It made me stop and think a little bit more.”

4. A key aspect of the success of participants’ experiences with the programme was the central role of Ruth, and the genuine and meaningful presence she has with the group and with the activity.

”Ruth really did make it, her personality… shone through and her warmth and generosity as well and it was just really lovely and great fun.”

”Yeah I got the feeling that it was almost like being given a gift really because you could see it was really personal to Ruth and she was coming at this from her own experience as well so it was like she really empathised with what we were all going through and she did make it a special time and it is a special time really.”