Tag Archives: gratitude

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Reflections on “Gratitude”

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It is so easy to take life for granted. Even when we don’t intend to, we still do.

This life we are experiencing, with all it’s challenges, joys and sorrows is such an amazing gift. While this is a blog about photography, the truth is that photography is about LIFE and how we see the world around us. The more we appreciate this life, the more we’ll see the many blessings around us, the abundant blessings around us.

Even in the hardest of life’s experiences, there is something to be thankful for. Gratitude is a practice, a way of life, a way of seeing, a way of appreciating. Gratitude is intentional. Gratitude is a shift of focus away from an expectation of what we might think life is “supposed” to be, and instead embracing life for what it is.

Gratitude is feeling the rain hit your face, yet looking toward the rainbow.

One person who has influenced my life tremendously is Eva Cassidy. She was a phenomenal singer who never sought fame or fortune. She simply sang and performed to the best of her ability. Her music touched my heart and my soul.

Eva only used instruments she could afford, and she made wonderful music with her guitar. She never used a pick. Eva always used her fingers for everything. (That’s relevant to photographers, because we are tempted to think it’s the camera features that matter the most, but actually it is how we use it that matters more.)

Sadly, Eva’s life was cut short by cancer at age 33. The world lost a great artist.

I am grateful for the life of Eva Cassidy. I am grateful for the gift of her musical talent she shared with this world.

Her rendition of Somewhere Over the Rainbow is so powerful.  I just felt like sharing this at a time in my life where I am very much aware of how important it is to embrace this gift of life, each and every day, each moment.

Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue, and the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true.

I encourage you to watch Eva’s performance of Over the Rainbow AND I encourage you to spend a little time reflecting on all the things you are grateful for in your life.

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General Commentary

The Thankful Project

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Here it’s Friday.  We have just about made it through another busy week!  Thank God It’s Friday!  TGIF!

I am a real believer that we photographers will create better photographs if we intentionally make it a practice to take in ALL the beauty and wonder of the world around us.  The first step in doing that is to STOP TAKING IT ALL FOR GRANTED.

The stuff we take for granted is most likely what we will overlook in our photography. It might be the simplest of things… the daily routine of getting the kids out of bed, making breakfast in a hurry, driving to work, our family, our kids, our parents, our home, our job, our friends, our coworkers, the car we drive, the air we breath, the water we drink, the sunrise each morning, the list goes on and on.

The next time you think you have nothing to photograph, just start making a “gratitude list”.  Think of all the things and people you are grateful for. Then make it your project to photograph those things! You may discover this project will result in your most meaningful photographs, especially later on in life.

So, instead of TGIF, practice gratitude EVERY day.

Kevin Gourley

P.S. Want more ideas on how to be re-inspired in your photography?
Join us for our ‘Rekindle Workshop‘ in 2017!

 

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Thanksgiving is About Giving Thanks

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What does the topic of “Thanksgiving” have to do with photography?

Well for many folks there are family gatherings and that often means some family photos will be taken, capturing those special memories. And then of course there is the infamous “Black Friday” where some of you might be out hunting for some great deal on camera gear you’ve been wanting. But I wanted to send out this post to mention the importance of “gratitude” in photography.  It’s about “giving thanks”.

Sometimes we overlook the mundane, the things and people around us all the time that we simply take for granted.  When we take things for granted, we sort of become blind to the beauty around us and to the many gifts we have been given in life.

I know if I focus on what I DON’T HAVE, I start to overlook all that I DO HAVE.

Researchers have found that when people just focus on what they don’t have, they are less happy and satisfied by life. Want to be happier? Shift your focus. Intentionally make yourself aware of all that is good in your life, even the small things.  Maybe even make a “gratitude list” and actually write down all that you are grateful for. The more  you work on that list, the more you may discover the list will get quite long. You may even discover you have an abundance of gratitude items on your list.

This indeed applies to photography also. If you look at a place or a moment in time with a focus on what is “not good about it” or you just don’t see anything to photograph there, it might be that you just haven’t taken the time to pause and take in the small details that ARE beautiful.

If you look with an attitude of anticipation that there IS something great there, you will start looking for what is good rather than ignoring it all.  You might look at a forest that has been damaged by fire, and rather than saying it is ugly, you search until you find a new tree sprouting up, or a bird resting on a branch, or maybe some interesting patterns in the burn marks on the trees.

Being grateful for this magnificent world opens up a new way to see all that is around you. There is an abundance of beautiful photographs to be taken right around you, perhaps at this very moment. It is a matter of changing how you see it all.

Practice a life of gratitude.

And on this Thanksgiving, do some thanks-giving.

And maybe take a few photographs of your family.  Never take them for granted.

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