Earlier this year I was asked by Arun Misra, the editor of fLIP magazine if I would write a book review for a new Thames and Hudson publication, The Mindful Photographer, by Sophie Howarth.
Here is my review…
Anyone who has been really listening to how things are operating in the world right now will resonate with this book within the first few pages. For others it may take a little longer, but I am sure it will be worth the investment. I read this book with no preconceived ideas, apart from making assumptions based on the title! To me it was intriguing, and I had no idea how the term The Mindful Photographer would play out as a book.
The book has sixteen chapters with titles such as Clarity, Confidence, Honesty and Compassion. Each chapter is followed by a Mindful Practice which offers the reader multiple ways to engage playfully with the world around them. These range from suggesting simple day-to-day changes to one’s processes, to some practices that would take time and commitment. There are some really surprising and light-hearted exercises, such as Appreciation for Your Camera where the author encourages us to get more involved with the physical attributes of our equipment; to think of the designers and makers that have brought these tools into existence, and to reflect on the history of the medium.
Beyond this, the book touches on some difficult and important issues, bringing our awareness to unconscious bias in the chapter entitled Cultural Mindfulness. Howarth talks about the criticism of the Western Mindfulness Movement, which she explains is understandable in the way it has been adopted by most health, education and workplace settings as a panacea to all our woes. However, she writes, “Mindfulness is not only about improving our own wellbeing by engaging in mental housekeeping. It is about noticing all of our habits and judgements and working to reduce the suffering they cause to both ourselves and others….We need compassion-based social change on a global scale. Mindfulness with its dual emphasis on looking in and looking out, is one of the most powerful tools we have to create it.”
The mindful practice which follows the Cultural Mindfulness chapter offers us three steps to begin mindfully addressing unconscious bias. This begins with the acknowledgement that we all hold unconscious bias, followed by understanding how this has played out, and still plays out within photographic practices and the rest of our lives. The last step is to learn the practice of loving kindness, a meditation, that I happen to be a practitioner of myself. “It helps to foster feelings of friendliness towards oneself and others.”
Howarth draws from multiple sources of belief and inspiration, with ideas from Buddhism seeming prominent. The book is well researched, with an extensive list of sources and ideas for further reading. I was impressed by the thoughtful connections that appear throughout the book. Tens of images from photographers whose work emanates from a mindful place breaks up the text. Giles Duley, documentary photographer and disability campaigner is featured within the Compassion chapter. By 2011, Duley had changed his field from Music photography to humanitarian work, and whilst working in Afghanistan he stepped on a landmine. Duley lost both legs and his left arm. In the months of rehabilitation that followed Giles became more passionate than ever about the role he could play going forward. He returned to Afghanistan and “discovered new levels of solidarity and connection with the people he photographed as a result of his injuries”.
Sophie Howarth offers her words in a nurturing tone; nothing is demanded of the reader, but much is proposed. I found this book concise and accessible. It doesn’t take long to read the whole thing, but if you take time to try out the mindful practices peppered throughout, you could return to its pages time and again, and it would be time well spent.
Here are just a few quotes from the book to help you on your way…
“I’m interested in our shared humanity, our empathy for others and the details in life that help us to connect” Giles Duley.
“It is part of the Photographer’s job to see more intensely than most people do” Bill Brandt.
“When gifts are given to me through my camera, I accept them graciously” Minor White.
fLIP Magazine is created by and on behalf of London Independent Photography. LIP has been going for more than three decades, and currently has 12 autonomous groups operating across London. As members move away, and especially since the proliferation of Zoom under lockdown, it’s not unusual to have members Zoom in from across the UK and parts of Europe. Check them out here.
You can order fLIP magazine directly from the website or grab a copy from The Photographer’s Gallery shop or Aperture Printing on Rathbone Place, W1.
Let me know if you have read this book, or if you have any experience, interest or views about Mindfulness in general.
Thanks!
Amanda