A Break in Routine

Photography is a way for me to expand my awareness of the world around me. I find that it is all too easy to follow a routine from day to day, where my focus is narrowly on the task at hand. My to-do list, which seems to be unending, can easily dominate my attention for long stretches of time.

Photography helps me to break out of that pattern, take a deep breath, and focus outward. It’s probably the exercise as well as the outward focus that refreshes me, when I go for a long walk with my camera.

In a way, photography is like meditation, requiring a letting go of other concerns and being immersed in the present moment, open to what presents itself to me. Successive photographic images are like points of reflection and awareness that occur when one spends some time in quiet prayer.

Reviewing and editing my images allows me to relive and interpret the experience. Our prayer helps us to reflect on and make sense of what life presents to us each day. Both photography and spirituality require practice in order to grow and improve. What spiritual or other practices help you most to grow in your awareness of the presence of God in your life?

“Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)