NZPhotographer Issue 35, September 2020

PHOTO COMMUNITY
Feel Good. Do Good. For Good.
ON THE BRINK
With Mental Health Awareness Week
coming up this month in New Zealand we
thought it important to revisit the discussion
about photography and mental health and
how we as photographers can take care of
ourselves, especially in these very turbulent
times when there is no certainty over what
will happen tomorrow.
The lockdown spurred creativity in many
of us and lots of new photography-related
projects took place but at the same time,
very little attention has been dedicated to
how us photographers feel, why we enjoy
photography, and whether we are doing it
full time or only as an occasional hobby.
We all have our ups and downs, selfdoubts,
and confidence issues and we
may sometimes find ourselves on the brink
of mental breakdown being exhausted,
worried, annoyed, or stressed but as
photographers, we have one of the most
powerful tools for mental wellbeing in our
hands.
Photography is not a magic wand, but these
5 simple ways for wellbeing shared by the
Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand
can easily be applied to photography:
1.
Connect. Get involved in groups or
communities - seeing the work of other
photographers or working on your own
interview, story, or feature will surely help you
get some much-needed creative distraction
(we can help with that www.excio.io/
membership!). Connecting is not only about
photography groups but about connecting
with viewers too. This is exactly what we
explore every week in our challenges: how
the photographs you take and share affect
your audience.
2.
Give. Giving through your photography
will 100% make you feel better. It
doesn’t mean you have to wait for your next
(or first) sale and then donate to a good
cause. With Feel Good Photography you
can support a good cause at no cost to
you, just by publishing your work on Excio.
3.
Take Notice. When we are out and
about taking photographs we learn
how to see things in a new light – we take
notice of what is happening around us in a
completely different way than other people
which helps us to live in the moment and
appreciate the little things.
4.
Keep Learning. This doesn’t mean
you have to spend half of your
week watching YouTube tutorials. Through
photography we can learn about the world
around us - Browse the free Excio collections
from your phone or computer and you will
see there are lot of interesting things from
the world of nature, to travel and people.
5.
Be Active. Go out there with your
camera whether you're exploring your
local area or further afield... use your camera
as a tool to take you to unknown places.
Believe me, as a photographer myself and as
the co-founder of Excio's online community,
I also have those moments of self-doubts
and overthinking but seeing new photos
and collections added by our members
pop up on my home screen first thing in the
morning makes me smile and gives me more
confidence than I've ever had before.
As a community of photographers I
encourage you to take care of each other,
be a little kinder, and use your camera as a
tool for doing good.
Stay kind and stay strong.
Ana Lyubich
Co-founder of Excio,
Ana's photography
journey started many
years ago with one of the
first Kodak film cameras.
She loves exploring the
unseen macro world
and capturing people's
genuine emotions.
@excionz
www.excio.io