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When I go to events, especially ones that shift and change you (like both of my retreat adventures this fall…the Wise Bodies, Wise Hungers Retreat and Lucky Star Art Camp) it feels more important than ever to add myself into the story I’m capturing through the camera.
Because, as it is becoming my mission to say aloud, so many of us are missing from the visual story of our lives. From our photo albums, from images with our beloveds, from the context of our adventures.
Also, when we are the ones who are so often behind the camera, it can be easy to make that our comfort zone and only take photos of the adventure around us, without ourselves in it!
I’m in the post-trip stage right now where all I want is to be back in that dining hall with 70+ ladies sitting round tables feasting on the most healthy & scrumptious food and connecting with people. Or sitting by the river writing. And begin in the company of friends.
And photos bring us back there.
I know for me, when I look back in many years, it won’t be the landscape photos that bring me back to the experience or the photos of horses (though I still love taking them). It will be the ones where I added a bit of myself into it…feet by the water, the morning sun on my shoulders, playing at that amazing camp car.
Adding ourselves into the story of our photos is, for me, a way to look back at the woman I was (3 days ago, 5 years ago) and look her in the eye…and know what she was struggling with, or how happy she was.
Lets also not just save this act of stepping into the frame for big adventures too. It is something we can do each and every day, adding ourselves into the most simple of moments like walking the dog, making food, connecting with our loved ones.
It doesn’t need to be our whole bodies or our faces either. It can be our feet, our hands, even our shadows. Lets put ourselves back into the visual story of life through our lens.
Adding ourselves into our photos helps us see where we’ve been and create where we are going.
What is a moment in your day, week, or month, that you could add yourself into your own visual story?
Oh…and if more guidance on turning the camera on yourself sounds exciting I do have a new session of Be Your Own Beloved starting November 1st!
Here are a few of those moments from last weeks adventure:
