The Health Benefits of Photography
Photography in the Brain Wellness Program
As some of you may know, the BC Brain Wellness Program offers an online photography class! This class is focused on learning the fundamentals of photography while experiencing the mindfulness that comes along with taking a photo. Participants are encouraged to explore and capture their community, whether that be going on a walk through a nearby neighborhood, exploring a park, or strolling along a beach. No previous experience is needed and the instructor will help guide you using whatever technology is available (i.e., fancy cameras are not needed!).
Why photography?
You may ask yourself, why is a photography class offered by a brain-focused program? It turns out there are many benefits of photography on your health. As a creative art form, it gives us an outlet for our emotions, showcases our creativity, allows us to detach from our stress and worries, and improves our mood [1]. Capturing the world through our own lens is a way to document things we find beautiful, comforting, and inspiring. Whether you enjoy capturing a sunset, forest, or someone you care about, photography encourages us to store moments that are meaningful to us. Going out into the world to take photos also promotes exercise, exploring new places, and enjoying the outdoors, which all can benefit our wellbeing.
Photography for mental health support
Counseling practices have embraced photography as a therapeutic tool. Since photography is an expression of reality, it can assist the rehabilitation counseling process and has been implemented in therapeutic settings [2]. Photography is also great because it can be accompanied by creative writing. Photographers may pair their photo with a description of the photo, how they feel about the photo, or their experience at a particular location in the photo [1]. Capturing both positive and negative experiences may help the photographer release and better understand their feelings in a healthy way. And when I say “photographer”, I mean anyone who has access to and is able to use a camera! You do not need to be a pro to enjoy and benefit from photography. For example, I took the photo below on my phone during a trip to Tofino last summer. I try to take photos that have meaning to me and this one brings me back to a trip with my mom full of sunsets, long walks on the beach, and good food!
I hope I have inspired you to get outside and take some photos this summer! I encourage you to take photos that are meaningful to you, and even write about them if you are comfortable doing so!
References
https://www.photoguard.co.uk/mental-health-photography
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15401380802708767
