Photography

Resources to help mindfully and artfully capture life’s beauty.

Photography has been a great facilitator of embodied living for me. While I recognize that societally we may have erred too far on the side of living for the photo, in my personal life photography acts more as a form of meditation. As I look deeply at the world around me—taking in the lighting, colors, shapes, movement, and stories that it contains—I am brought to live more deeply in the world as well. And when I successfully create an image that captures the feeling of the moment, it generates a profound sense of connectedness on a spiritual level.

I’ve found the process of photography to be most beneficial while working with my DSLR (as opposed to my phone camera or another point and shoot), as it offers more room for artistic intentionality. Below you’ll find some of my favorite resources on the subject.

Getting Started with Manual Mode

Learning how to use manual mode on your camera is revelatory, and I promise it’s not nearly as daunting as it seems. I can personally recommend the manual mode class with Liz LaBianca. I took it from her years ago and it was a fascinating deep dive into all the moving parts that manual mode asks you to consider. I’m not sure how frequently she’s running the course now, but another that you could look into is Illuminate Classes’s *The Basics of Photography.

Adding Art

Once I felt decently comfortable navigating manual mode, I wanted to learn more about artistic intentionality. So I created an Instagram account just to follow photographers that I admired and when I got on that account I was in study mode. I studied the composition, exposure, colors, light direction, everything. This was an incredible free resource and it played a huge role in opening my eyes to what photography could do and be.

Eventually, I started taking paid online courses as well. While I’ve taken courses from several different companies, the ones that have stuck with me the most have been from Illuminate Classes. I can’t tell you how much I’ve loved my experience with them—they’ve created an online space for learning photography that holds space for both the technicalities and the heart.

Here are the ones that I’ve either taken and loved or have been eyeing for a good while:

• The Magician’s Cape: a revelatory look at motherhood through self-portraiture

• Point of View: a guide to creating a documentary project from start to finish

• Food as Art: a guide to creating beautiful still life imagery using the elements of light, color, style and texture

• The Simple Edit: a guide to Lightroom workflow and editing skills

• *Portrait Revolution: a guide to creating connection, meaning and legacy through portraits

• *The Family Historian: leaving behind a legacy of photographs and narratives infused with honesty and artistry

As for courses taught by other people/organizations, here are a few others that have caught my attention:

• *Paul Nicklen: a masterclass from an incredible National Geographic photographer and conservationist

• *Documentary Family Photographer: a global community, directory, and photography resources & education platform committed to empowering and connecting families and photographers from all walks of life

*Indicates resources that I haven’t personally used yet, but are on my radar to dive into when I’m ready.

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As part of my Resource Index series, I consider this article a living document and may update it as I find other relevant resources that have staying power over time. To hear more about what I’m reading in real time and to support my work, please consider subscribing below.