With guest blogger and phenomenal photographer Kelly Rodgers.
Hi, I’m Kelly, I am a newborn and family photographer and I love my job. Photography has always played a big part in my life. It is not only my job, but a creative outlet that gives me confidence and brings joy and appreciation into my life. You may not realise it, but photography can positively influence your health in numerous ways. It can be a valuable and powerful form of self care and you don’t have to be a professional to feel the benefits. It can help you rediscover passion and purpose and find beauty in everyday life.
Discover the outdoors
Photography can be good for both your mind and body. You don’t have to have an expensive camera, simply start by using your mobile phone. Going for a walk, spending time on your own and looking at the world through the lens will allow you to appreciate the beauty around you. By trying different angles and getting low to the ground, you will see everyday things differently. I know during lockdown, we discovered lots of new walks. Having the opportunity to slow down and taking in my surrounding, really made me appreciate the beautiful area we live in.
Look through old photos
One of my achievements during lockdown, was creating a photobook of our family adventures. I plan to do one every year, although I am a few years behind, only just finished 2016! But my children absolutely love looking at them, it is a perfect reset button to reconnect with your family. Taking time out from the real world to tell family stories and relive old memories, can give you a great sense of achievement and gratitude.
Equally, framing your photos and surrounding yourself with happy memories can lift your mood. I have a photo wall going down my stairs and every morning it makes me smile. Especially seeing my children as babies, they are growing up so fast and I struggle to remember how tiny they were.
365 photo project
Taking a photo a day for a whole year, is a great little project that will allow you to see life from a fresh perspective and increase gratitude. I know people have been documenting lockdown and this has not only given people a focus during this difficult time but a fantastic piece of history that can be passed down through generations.
I personally had a few difficult days during lockdown. Feeling like I hadn’t accomplished half of the amazing projects people had been sharing on social media. But when I actually sat and looked back over my photos in my phone, I realised I had done so much more than I thought and actually had some amazing memories. Without capturing these moments, my memories of lockdown would have been very different. It is easy to fill our mind with negative thoughts so we need photos to lift our mood and redirect out focus.
Photos are highly subjective and that what’s makes them so powerful. The image below may just look like a photo of 2 kids riding their bike. But to me, this photo makes me burst with pride and captures the joy and excitement that my children experienced when they learnt to ride their bikes without stabilisers. A real highlight of our lockdown experience.
Kelly Rodgers Photography has given me the opportunity to meet so many lovely families. It is an absolute pleasure to photograph their tiny babies and produce beautiful photos that they can hang proudly in their home for all to enjoy. There is an enormous amount of satisfaction in capturing something that will live on and be enjoyed by so many people.
Why not make photography part of your self care routine and celebrate all that it has to offer. You don’t need to be a pro, it is all about creating memories and expressing yourself.
If you would like to see more of my work or are interested in capturing some beautiful memories for your family you can visit my website www.kellyrodgers-photography.co.uk or follow me on facebook www.facebook.com/kellyrodgersphotography.
Over the next few weeks Abundance TEC will be featuring guest bloggers on our website and social media platforms to support Self-Care Sunday.
The aim is to raise awareness as to why self-care is so important and to highlight a variety of ways you can implement self-care into your everyday routine to support positive mental health and well-being.These inspiring business owners and bloggers will be providing their own version of what self-care means to them and why they do what they do to look after themselves.
Thank you to the wonderful, super-talented Kelly for sharing her self-care tips, journey and passion this week.
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