photography as a healing art – chapter one

Through the Eyes of a Child

Were you fascinated by photographs as a child? I can remember looking at photo albums time and time again growing up.  There was a certain comfort, a feeling of being safe, the warmth of family.

I’m so thrilled that my mother and grandmother loved to take family photos.  What would I do now without them?  The one above provides so many memories for me now. My twin sisters with their identical clothing, my mom’s sense of fashion, the dinnerware on the bar that I now have today, the violets my mom grew prolifically on the window sill, the bar stools that we sat on for every meal together as a family.  It takes me right back to that time…a time I’ll never forget.

During my corporate years I rarely took photos.  But I did have one picture that went with me to every office I occupied throughout my career.  One of a small sail boat on a body of calm water.  It had a Monet feel to it.  Whenever I had stressful days (and boy there were lots of them!) I would go into my office, close the door and just gaze at that picture.

Now I find myself capturing moments like that with my camera.  Whether it’s a scene in Central Park, dried grasses on the farm, or cacti in the desert, it’s looking through the lens and having similar feelings like I did when I looked at those photographs as a child.  There’s a wave of comfort and warmth that comes over me as I try my best to capture those feelings to share with you.

Next week:  Chapter Two – Seeing Our Way Clear

(This is the beginning of a series of posts on Jan Phillips’ book, God is at Eye Level, Photography as a Healing Art.  You can visit the first post here.)