No matter how much we love photography, life can impose itself and we may end up not having the time or energy to go out for art. Here’s a little technique I use to keep on training my eyes when I’m overwhelmed by life’s chores.
Mental photography: what it is?
It sounds weird and useless but this is really a useful technique that helped me in multiple ways (that I’ll detail in this blog post). First, what is mental photography? It’s about taking a photograph, mentally, without using a camera or anything.
Here’s how to take a mental photograph: focus your eyes on a scene, a landscape, or a precise subject. Frame mentally what you want to photograph. Take a mental snapshot and freeze movements like a real shot. All that is done in a couple of seconds or less. You don’t need to imagine a rectangle or create one with your fingers. It’s all mental work. Don’t just look in front of yourself, be curious, and let your eyes wander around you, on the ground, and above you.
When to use mental photography?
When going to my appointments, I was sometimes struck by the beauty of the light and felt frustrated to not be able to focus on photography (instead of my obligations). Taking mental photographs helped me relieve this frustration in addition to a good training for my eyes. Now, I use this training technique quite often when I go out without my camera. Mental photography will be very valuable to train your eyes without taking you extra time or extra energy. You can do it while going out for any obligations you may have but also when returning home.
Benefits of mental photography
Taking photographs mentally has many benefits. You’ll train your eyes to quickly detect potential shot opportunities and the right moment. You’ll become more sensible about light and its quality. You’ll become more curious and it’ll become second nature to look everywhere. Mental photography will also help you to focus on your art without expectations. Use it for a month and see by yourself if it can be good for you too.
