Photography and My Health
Hello Friends,
A couple of weeks ago now, I managed to get out into my garden and take some photographs. It felt so good to have my camera in my hand and just slowly wander around making pictures of the different flowers we have ~ most of which my mum bought with the thought of how they’d make interesting subjects for me to capture when they bloomed! I’m sure I get my keen “photographer” eye from her!
I haven’t been well enough to even pick up my camera for a long time, partly due to my physical health and partly due the impact closing the shop side of my photography website had on me mentally. But feeling that all too familiar weight in my hand again and hearing that satisfying click of the shutter is just, in want of a better word… Magical!
This reminded me of an old article I wrote and posted on my Blogger blog that I’d saved before deleting that site. So I thought I’d re-share that piece with you today. While I’ve done a little bit of editing to it, the piece is mostly the same as when I first posted it.
Enjoy!
When I began to get more into photography again, a number of years ago now, it was motivated by the fact that most of my other hobbies were just too active for me to part take in anymore. But I felt that maybe I could make photography work within my new limitations.
I started by simply using my phone to take photos of my days in and around the house and then when I was bought a Nikon D3200, {I now have a Nikon D7200} I began using that too. While I have always loved Landscape Photography, trying to practise that was proving a bit difficult and I realised that I needed to venture into other avenues of Photography, as having a creative outlet {as well as writing} is definitely beneficial to my mental health.
ID: A black and white macro photograph of a flower bud, just beginning to open.
In time I invested in a couple of new lenses ~ I opted for a Macro lens and a Telephoto one. I began to make use of my little garden and realised I absolutely loved Macro Photography! I think that’s because, partially due to my OCD, I often notice even the tiniest details when looking at things, so it wasn’t a surprise to find I love Macro Photography so much! So on days when I feel okay enough, I will go into the garden with my Macro lens, a Micro NIKKOR 85mm, and make photographs of the flowers and items in the garden. The best thing about this is that it means I can play, make photographs and experiment with my camera without having to go off to find a location, which I really struggle to do now as I’m mainly housebound.
We’ve recently added a “Summer House” to the garden for me, though I call it my Cabin as that’s more of the feel and look I wanted. So now when I’m well enough to get out into the garden, I’m able to take more rest breaks when needed. I can simply sit on the day bed in my Cabin rather than having to cut my time outside short and slowly make my way back into the house instead. Then after a while, if I feel okay enough, I can have a another little venture around the garden. My garden isn’t massive by any means, but when mobility and low/no energy are an issue, it can make my garden feel like I’m trying to walk around the grounds of a Stately Home!
If I'm having a day where I'm really unable to manage getting in the garden but feel okay enough to pick up my camera, then my Cats make the perfect subjects! I'll either use my 35mm, 50mm lenses or if I want to get some more detailed photos of them, I'll use my 85mm Macro. Once the Cats get fed up of the Camera, {though a couple of them actually love having their photo taken} and I'm still feeling okay, I'll swap to my NIKKOR Telephoto 70 - 300mm and if there's birds in the garden, I'll grab a few shots of them from the window.
ID: A black and white photograph of Louise’s Tabby cat, Dex. The picture is taken from above and he is staring straight up at the camera.
While I haven’t done so for a good couple of years, I do like to go to my local beach {health allowing of course} to get some Landscape and Sunset photographs but those trips, {though I'm only a 10 minute drive from the coast} mean I have to make sure I get plenty of rest before hand and have nothing else going on that same week. I also still love using my phone to take photos and the camera on my iPhone 11 Pro Max is just wonderful, especially in portrait mode! This also means I don't have to leave my bed if I don't want to to take a few images of my surroundings and it helps me to document my daily life living with M.E.
I think that is one of the things I love about Photography: it can be adapted to your given situation. You can make it work for you. Due to the limits on my energy supplies, I try to make every hit of the shutter button count. I take my time and really think about how I want the image to look and always try to get it right in camera rather than capturing anything and relying on editing afterwards.
Also like I said, it can be such a benefit to my mental health as a creative outlet. Even though it can have a negative impact on my physical health, I've found that even the post processing stage is beneficial. {though I only do minor tweaks} It helps me remember that the few days in bed recovering were worth it and helps me cope on the worse days as looking back at images I've taken really does give me a little boost! I wrote a whole piece on this called Photographs and Souvenirs if you’d like to read it.
Photography is such a special thing to me and being able to make it work within my limitations, is something I'm so very grateful for, although even doing that can be difficult at times.
If you'd like to see more of my photography work you can do so by visiting my website, Lo Elizabeth Photography. While I no longer officially sell my work, if you are interested in purchasing anything from my website, please do contact me.
Do you like Photography? Has it helped you find an outlet for a mental or physical health condition? What other creative outlet have you found?
Leave me a comment below as I’d love to know.
Stay Safe. Make Photographs.
L x
ID: A photograph of the sun setting behind the clouds. The sky is a vibrate orange and the suns rays are shining from behind the clouds.
