The Healthy Photographer
A look back at my unhealthy habits and how photography has helped me change for the better.
Welcome back to Adopted Lens, my monthly newsletter dedicated to the journey of self-discovery through photography. In this month’s edition, I’m going to explore the often overlooked health benefits of street photography. I know this idea might sound a little strange, but hear me out.
Back in 2003, I worked as a junior graphic designer at a successful design studio that specialized in DVD reproduction, including menu and package design. At the time, I thought I had landed my dream job. I couldn’t believe that I was actually getting paid to watch TV and design the digital menus and packaging art for some of my favourite blockbuster movies and television shows.
After a few months of having my “dream job” I realized something about my career choice that was unsettling.
Day in and day out I was stuck at my desk, with my eyes glued to either a TV or computer screen. I worked long hours and rarely took breaks, just to go home and do it all over again as a freelancer designer, trying to make some extra money on the side.
I knew it in my gut, this wasn’t the job for me, and after a painfully long year I finally decided to quit. Surprisingly I remained in the graphic design and creative direction career space for another 15+ years. Over time, I slowly got better at taking breaks, trimming down my work hours and creating a healthy work/life balance, or so I had thought. I had neglected one major aspect in my efforts to create a healthy work/life balance and that was being physically active.
It wasn’t until 2012 that I actually started to introduce a more active lifestyle as part of my daily routine. I went from doing nothing to literally running half-marathons! Within 6 months to a year I was in the best shape of my life both mentally and physically. I didn’t know it at the time, but a lot of what I enjoyed about running would translate into what I love so much about street photography. (I’ll explain more about this later)
Let’s fast forward to 2016, I had completely stopped running due to a lack of time (or a lack of prioritizing my health) based on opening a new business, while simultaneously becoming the Creative Director for OVO’s newest act at the time, R&B duo DVSN, made up of singer/songwriter Daniel Daley and Grammy Award winning Producer Paul Jefferies aka Nineteen85.
Once again, I thought I had found my “dream job” or “dream jobs”, but I was wrong once again. Don’t get me wrong, I loved what I was doing for the most part, but in retrospect, the personal sacrifice wasn’t worth it.
In the summer of 2019 leading into 2020 (before the pandemic lockdowns), I picked up a camera and started wandering the streets in an attempt to unplug from my work life and create for myself again.
“My journey into photography surprisingly provided me with the types of health benefits (both physical and mental) that I so desperately needed.”
I mentioned earlier that I enjoyed street photography similarly to how I enjoyed running and that’s because they both provided me with an opportunity to clear my mind (almost like meditation or a form of therapy) while being physically active.
Here’s a short list of some of the health benefits I’ve identified since becoming a street photographer.
Physical Health Benefits
Increased Physical Activity: On any given day, I’d walk anywhere between 10,000 steps (5 miles/8km) to 30,000 steps (15 miles/24km), in my pursuit to capture the types of street photographs that speak to me. Walking this much contributes to my overall cardiovascular health, improves my stamina, and burns a ton of calories (which is great news for beer drinkers like myself)!
Improved Posture and Core Strength: As long as you’re not carrying an RZ67 around your neck all day, there’s a good chance you’ll maintain good posture while walking and shooting on the street. Having good posture can help strengthen your core and back muscles.
Fresh Air & Natural Light: I look forward to getting outside and getting some fresh air and sunlight. This helps put me in a positive mood, but it also boosts my Vitamin D levels, which supports my overall immune system.
Maintain Active Lifestyle: The healthy feeling I gained from walking so much inspired me to reactivate my gym membership, which has led me to make the gym part of my weekly routine. Good habits inspire good actions.
Mental Health Benefits
Mindfulness and Presence: I’ve talked about this benefit before, but street photography encourages you to be fully present, and appreciate the moments as they happen. This practice is similar to mediation and promotes a calm state of mind.
Stress Relief: The act of disconnecting from your work life and creating for yourself can be a huge stress reliever. Trust me on this!
Increased Mental Clarity: Observing and interpreting the world around us gives us the opportunity to concentrate and think critically while improving our photography skill set.
Creative Expression/Emotional Outlet: Street photography allows us to express ourselves both creatively and emotionally without ever having to say a word.
Community & Social Connection: I know a lot of us shoot on the street solo, but by joining community photo walks or attending gallery exhibits we give ourselves the opportunity to feel a part of something. Being an active community member can help reduce feelings of loneliness, isolation or even depression.
I hope my story encourages you to reflect on your journey when it comes to your physical and mental health.
Peace,
Photo Of The Month
This month’s “Photo Of The Month” is still one of my favourite photos I’ve ever taken! Believe it or not, this image was captured with my little Ricoh GR1v point-and-shoot film camera back in 2019.
Most Recent YouTube Videos
This is hands down, one of my favourite photo community events that I’ve ever hosted! I can’t begin to describe the type of joy it brought me to see 21 local photographers showcasing their work (some, for the first time) in a public gallery space. Congrats to each and every photographer and a very special thanks to ILFORD and Memento Film Lab for all of the support in helping to make this idea a reality.
I don’t know about you, but I spend a lot of time on YouTube researching lenses before I ever make a purchase. Hope this quick Voigtlander 50mm F2.2 Color Skopar lens review helps you out!
Here are a few photographs from my first roll using the new lens.
Upcoming News & Events
Saturday, Sept 21st: Bloorcourt Village Community Photo Night Walk – CLICK HERE to reserve your spot.
Date TBD: Just added a brand new neighbourhood to my Community Photo Walk event series. Stay tuned for more info!
September: Pastiche Magazine Launch
I’m honoured to be included as a featured artist in the inaugural issue of Pastiche Magazine. Pastiche is a film and digital photography magazine dedicated to celebrating the creative process and highlighting inspiring photographers and their work. Issue 001 features interviews with myself, Lucy Lumen, and John Totten with additional work from Maggie Carey, Jose Luis Simon, Marty Schnurr, Marcus Valderrama, and Nick Rufo.
Side Note: I recently joined the creators of Pastiche (Thom and Eric) for the 3rd episode of their photography based podcast Exposure Therapy. Looking forward to sharing this conversation with you very soon!
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Love the mention of healthy habits from photography. It's something that I want to figure out...like a more IRL / active way to share / interact with the Substack community.
I'm still spending too much time behind the screen with growing a photography community here.