A few weeks ago I came across this book called the Camera Cure. And now I’m on a journey to a higher quality of life through the camera. I kind of have been for a few years already, but now through concrete tasks from the book. First up; practicing presence.
The Camera Cure
Dr. Torkil Færø wrote “The Camera Cure” as a result of more than 20 years as a General Practitioner. Dr. Færø repeatedly met patients with many of the same “life problems”, and found that photography could actually be used to help heal a lot of them.
You definitely don’t need to have a mental condition or diagnosis to read and work through Færøs book. He states that going through the tasks can help you achieve higher quality of life, while at the same time improving your skills as a photographer. Judging by what I have read this far, I think he’s on to something.
Practicing presence
The first task in the Camera Cure is one where you’re supposed to practice being present. I think this is such an important task for photographers. Only when we are truly present, we are able to make great images. Whenever I’m not truly present, I feel like I’m forcing my images instead of letting them come to me. The interesting images I find are those where I connect with my location and the subject of my image, and that’s only possible when I’m present. If my mind keeps wandering to thoughts about the past or worries about the future, I’m not really present in the moment I’m trying to capture, right?
A new project?
I really want to make this journey through the Camera Cure a new project for myself. I know, I have a lot of them going on with both the last part of “Getting the image” and the rest of the first season of “Explore Locally”. But having these projects drives my creativity, and is a good excuse to actually prioritize my creative work. And I think I’ve written more than enough on why prioritizing time for creative work is important to me.
I’ve made this video about my solution to the first task in the Camera Cure. I don’t know if I’ll be making videos for each task, but certainly for some of them. Others I will probably just share here on the blog or on my Instagram. I hope you’ll join me for the ride!
If you’d like to see more of my projects, please subscribe to my blog, check out my Instagram or my YouTube. And remember to get out there and explore for local locations to practice yours presence yourself as well!
