A Photo Fitness Walk

Photo Fitness Scene

I was reminded today of a quote by a successful business man.

“If you settle for less, that’s all you’ll get.”    by J.F. (Jim) Straw.

Allow me tell you what unusual circumstance prompted that quote to enter into my head.

I was driving by a local YMCA. On the side of their building is a little oval walking track, I would guess about 400 yards around. Nothing could be more plain. It’s a corner lot, tall hedge of green on one side, brick building on the other, and street; that’s it. Nothing to see here, as they say. It looks more like an after-thought.

And on the track this day is one woman, dressed in a style that let’s me assume she’s out for a fitness walk. Round and round she goes in an environment that is totally lacking in stimulus.

To me, she’s only getting half a workout.

Just the day before I took my own fitness walk, as usual, with camera in hand. Here’s a photo of what I saw.

Beautiful autumn trees sharing their colors over a quite lake. A gorgeous statue, “3 Sisters,” spraying a wonderful mist of water that reverberated off the lake’s surface like music to my ears.

There were trails that went uphill and trails that went down. Families, and couples, and joggers of one.There were geese resting in the sun and squirrels frantically preparing for winter. This place was alive with everything a body needs to be truly fit – body, mind and soul.

And it was only a ten minute drive from that desolate track where she walked round and round.

Little changes can often  make a big difference. “But if you settle for less, that’s all you ‘ll get.”

Going for a walk with my camera in hand, almost forces me to find someplace to walk that offers additional stimulus for my body, mind and soul. And every excursion is successful. I see something I have never seen before. And because I have my camera I can share it with others. How much better my experience becomes for making that one simple change – bring your camera. Don’t you settle for less.

Literacy Through Photography

One of the greatest things about photography is it’s ability to enrich the lives of folks young and old.

I’ve written here many times about photography’s benefits to adults (increased focus and attention, increased mobility, better overall mental and physical health, and the monetary rewards) but not much about it’s ability to benefit the young as well.

Recently I came across a website from Duke University’s Center for Documentary Studies that focused on a children’s program by photographer Wendy Ewald.

Ms. Ewald’s program,  Literacy Through Photography, is reaching out to children across the world -putting cameras in the hands of children and leading them to explore and express their surrounding through pictures.

It was heartwarming to read the stories of how much her students could learn and grow from the experience of taking photographs, many holding a camera for the very first time. Perhaps not so surprising to learn of how Ms. Ewald was learning new things right along with her students.

It has been my experience, and I’m sure most teachers would attest, the best way to really learn something is to teach it. Until you can look at something through another’s eyes you are only seeing one perspective. The echo that comes back from the student is the true measure of the effectiveness of teaching. Once received, that echo provides a sound basis for teaching the teacher through the new perspective gained.

I encourage everyone to pop on over to the Literacy though Photography website and follow the links there to stories of Ms. Ewald’s facinating adventures in bringing photography to children around the world. If you wish, you can also make a donation to help her in this great project as well.

Young or old, rich or poor, weak or strong, wherever you stand right now, photography offers you a vehicle to something even better. Pick up your camera now and begin to explore this wonderful world with the perspective only you can provide. The benefits are there for everyone.

http://cds.aas.duke.edu/index.html

Photography and Health

PhotobyLadonaTornabene

This morning I saw them…after the long, record-cold setting winter, they emerged. The ones I had waited for all year —the ones that send my heart to race and calm my mind simultaneously.
In my neighbor’s garden the first tulips sang to the sunshine today. I reckon the sunshine was deeply moved as tears began to flow unobstructed onto my gear, yet I was not deterred. I spread out my cushy mat that allows me to lie on sharp stones without too many bruises and perched myself upon my elbows in anticipation of the magic that would begin within as I indulged in immortalizing spring. After placing my body into more positions than in playing a Twister game, I emerged with a soul that had been truly refreshed by the radiance of new beginnings. I am grateful for the lung capacity to inhale deeply spring’s celebration so that I may slowly exhale its vivacity throughout the year.

EXPLORING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PHOTOGRAPHY & HEALTH
As a professor in health education at the University of Minnesota Duluth in the Department of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation, and as a prolific photographer, I am intrigued by the relationship between our health and how it empowers us to capture the images that compel us to immortalize them. Our health is the platform from which every photo is taken. Mostly when I speak of health, people think of the physical dimension, which is tremendously important; however, health also encompasses the emotional, intellectual, spiritual, and social dimensions of our lives. With that said, below are my reflections on what health means to me and it is my hope that throughout our convention and health fair, you will reflect on what health means to you.

I am immensely grateful for my sight so that I may be guided to that which—with one click of the shutter — will be preserved forever. I am extremely grateful for my emotions so that I can feel the joy involuntarily escalating within my soul as I photograph that which resonates between heartbeats. I am tremendously thankful for my intellect, as it contains the knowledge to render the images that are dancing before my lens. I am deeply appreciative of my body that empowers me to get into position so I can look until I really see. I am thankful, ever so thankful for my spirit, which gives my photography a purpose that transcends words as I experience moments of which I am certain, nudge the very gates of Heaven.

And I am thankful for friends like you with whom I share a kindred spirit for photography and who make conventions like this even possible. All dimensions of our health impact the images we see and preserve. I invite you to be proactive in empowering your health so that you can have long exposure to life and truly focus on that which not only resonates between heartbeats, but develops them as well.

In the image of health,
Ladona Tornabene, Ph.D., CHES

My thanks to Dr. Tornabene, co-chairperson for the  N4C Duluth 2009 Convention. for allowing me to reprint this article, which was originally published in the brochure for this convention, who’s theme this year is “Photography and Health”. It’s reassuring to find others speaking out on the real benefits that photography brings to our health.
For more information on the upcoming 53 Annual North Central Camera Club Council (N4C) 2009 Convention, please visit their website,

http://n4cduluth2009.org

I encourage you to also view Dr. Tornabene’s wonderful artwork at

http://www.d.umn.edu/~ltornabe/photography
All proceeds from her fine art prints benefit the Professor As Photographer Scholarship Fund .
Dr. Tornabene’s mission in life is to inspire and empower people.  This Fund is designed to help nontraditional students return to school to study health education and help their current students to intern abroad.

Photography is Like Making Spaghetti

Making Spaghetti

Your hand squeezes each plump, red tomato attempting to find just the perfect texture.

The bold, green color of bell pepper catches your eye next as you begin selecting the ingredients for a meal that’s sure to please. Each item must be chosen with most careful scrutiny in order for your creation to become a masterpiece of culinary delight.

But this is just the start.

Anticipation grows on the drive home with your precious cargo. You eagerly await the preparation which comes next. You imagine yourself carefully peeling away the parts that aren’t needed until just the very best remains. Each part must hold it’s own for the final feast to please. The kitchen is filled with excitement as the aromas begin to tease.

From all of your gathering of ingredients, preparation, and artful assembly a spaghetti dinner has been created! Friends and family can now enjoy.

So how in the world is photography like that?

Rather than just tell you outright, permit me to share a little story and see if you can find a similarity.

The park is filled with magnificent colors. The sweet scent of fragrant flowers is in the air. You can hear the shrill sound of the blue jay, off just a bit in the distance, near I expect to where the small but sparkling waterfall meets the pooling waters below.

You know you have found the perfect spot to gather photos. The beautiful flower colors beg to be taken home. The unique textures on the rock wall and the shadows they form would be great to show your friends. If you’re lucky, you’ll catch a shot of the beautiful blue jay as he sweeps by in pursuit of his next meal. It’s like being in paradise, again.

I say again because at least once a week, I head out, camera in hand to gather the wonders of nature on film. It’s a great chance to look for, enjoy, and appreciate all the magical things that surround us every day, but often go unnotice in our hustle and bustle lives.

Each week I  gather the visual ingredients that will make for great photographs to share with friends and family…and everyone here at this blog. But the process of creating great photographs just begins in the camera. There are so many ways to prepare them later, just as there are hundreds of ways to prepare tomatoes. One outcome may be quite different from another.

On my journey home from the park, I begin to imagine just how I will use my digital photo editing software, in my case Photoshop, to careful craft the final images. Digital editing is the equivalent of cutting the veggies to make a fine spaghetti sauce. Only in photography we’re preparing pixels.

Once “cut and washed” until sparkling clean and clear, the final image you will see nears completion. Perhaps I’ll pick a nice frame just as you would settle your fine spaghetti into one of your best dishes for presentation.

You gather and you prepare, savoring each step as you go.

That is exactly how photography is like making spaghetti. A few hours spent immersed in the enjoyable adventure of creating something grand to share.

However there is one critical difference I should make you aware of. Photography will never put one pound on your body, no matter how often you partake.

In fact, when you follow the  program I suggest on this blog, you can actually find yourself losing weight! And having a great time doing it!

Spaghetti on the other hand?

…Hmmm?

Camera Cures aka Pictures of Health

Snow Geese Family

It is widely accepted in psychological circles that colors can effect the mood of the people who view them. Blue is often described as a calming color while red is said to excite. Yellow is cheerful and black depressing.

A persons mood can also be effected by the subject portrayed in the scene. Certain landscape scenes have a calming effect while certain city-scapes tend to increase tension.

Hundreds of studies can be found that document a viewers reaction to pictures (paintings and photographs).  What surprised me however, was how little  documentation (almost none) could be found that gave evidence of the therapeutic effects of TAKING photographs.

I came across one clinical observation in my searching that really gave credible evidence to the benefits of taking photographs.

It was described in the book, “The Strengths Model” by Charles A. Rapp. In the section titled, “Talents and Skills” the author told of a hospitalized man with mental and physical abnormalities (pg.95). He descibed how when this man was directed to pursue his passion for photography (even though his photos never sold anywhere) he was released within 2 months from the hospital with a clean bill of health. Even more compelling was the fact that he never again returned to the hospital in the subsequent 20 years until his death from pneumonia.

Merely pursuing a hobby that interested him, photography in particular, was enough to set this man on a course to a long and healthy life.

Anyone interested in photography can tell you that there is a calming effect of searching for and always finding the beauty in this world. Any photographer will tell you of the zen-like focus of attention one comes to when consumed with creating an image. You block out all others problems and concerns in your life, you cannot consciously hear the sounds around you, you cannot see disrtactions beyond the viewfinder. You are at once consumed by the scene you hope to capture to the exclusion of all else.

So I am surprised not to find more accounts online which tell of the wonderful effects of photography on the human mind and body. I know it has effected me by increasing my fitness through walking to find great shots to share, it has increased my mental sharpness and focus, and it has increased my economic condition through the sale of photos.

Please share your stories with our readers in the comments below.

How has photography improved your mental or physical health?

How has it improved your economic standing during these difficult times?

I know informally from conversations with other photographers, but lets see if we can help more folks by sharing our results here in writing.

Your comments are welcomed below!

Memorial Day Honors

Happy Memorial Day!

“Freedoms light continues to shine on the many thanks to the brave sacrifices of the few.”

As we remember to honor all the brave men and women who sacrifice much, if not everything, for their country – let us also be reminded to appreciate all the freedoms we enjoy thanks to their dedicated service.

To enjoy the maximum benefits of health, wealth and wisdom from everything you do, be sure to give your all to the activities that mean the most to you as well.

When you’re committed to the goal, no matter how difficult the challenges may seem, you are well on your way to victory.

Photography, using your camera to capture all the wonders of life, is a great way to preserve the memories of all that is dear to you. And a great way to stay healthy, get wealthy and wise too!

Have a great holiday weekend everyone!

I Have a Dream…Like Susan Boyle

t

A Brighter Dawn

Today I want to share an inspirational video with you.

It’s a very moving story of someone who pressed on despite her obvious “handicaps”.

Someone who pressed on, determined to follow her dream, though from all outward appearances she was ill suited for the lofty dream she held in her heart.

But she had two things going for her that would not allow her to fail. Her persistance and her talent.

Most of us have talent, at one thing or another. Most of us lack persistence.

One of my talents and passions happens to be photography. But I let that talent lie dormant for a great many years. Only recently did I decide that I must share my skills and abilities so that others might discover the many great benefits of photography – better health, greater wealth, and wisdom.

Take a look at this inspirational video of Susan Boyle (below) . If after watching it you DECIDE that your dream involves taking up a camera to create wonderfully stunning images of the magnificent world in which we live, or if you want to capture the innocent smiles of children as they play, or pets as they always amuse us, come on back here and read through the posts.

Check out the helpful resources in the sidebar. Everything here is built and tested for helping you to pursue your dream. Photography can inspire your life in ways you could never imagine.

Let the sun rise on your dreams today, just as it did for Susan.

To borrow the words of a great American, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,

” I have a dream!”

And I’m living it, and sharing it with you. Let’s all be inspired by Susan. Let’s dust of our dreams, pick up our cameras (if that’s your passion too) and share our gifts with the world. If you won’t do it for yourself, please do it for us! Please, please  surprise us (or someone!) today with your special, secret talent.

Watch Susan share her gift here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

Robert Schwarztrauber

Senior Fitness Movement

Waves Tube Slide

Yesterday, on a brisk and sunny weekday afternoon, we packed up the minivan and headed over to Waves Indoor Waterpark in nearby Niagara Falls, Ontario. A great way to enjoy time with the kids while they are off from school for the Easter (Spring) holiday.

We had a great time zipping down the three-story waterslides and getting tossed about in the wave pool. I even got to enjoy a little quiet time in the huge hot-tub when Stephanie (my daughter) wasn’t pulling me out to get the next soaking from the giant bucket dump!

It was there, in this time of quiet reflection, (ha-ha!) that I made an interesting observation leading to why I write about this here today.

As you know, my position is that photography is more than just recording a visual point in time. It’s more than capturing a memory. It’s more than creating a light picture that will hang on the wall. While all that is fun, the hidden benefit of photography is that it is good for our bodies. Photography leads to better physical and mental health.

The proof I discovered today at the waterpark, in a not-so-scientific but very revealing study,  is that seniors with cameras in their hands tended to move around while seniors without cameras tended to sit in one place.

Yes, because this is a great place for kids to be active, grandparents with cameras (and parents too) had to get up from their chairs and follow the kids around to snap their picture. They had to get moving. And any fitness professional will tell you that moving beats sitting hands-down for creating a healthier body. And any mental health professional will tell you that being active and doing something  is far better for your mind than not doing anything.

Do you think at any time those folks with cameras thought, “I better get up and get some exercise by chasing those kids around with my camera?” No.

Once again proving my point that photography is one of the best, fun ways to keep your body mentally and physically fit. When you head out regularly to capture a photo of something you love (children, grandchildren, flowers, landscapes, pets, birds, boats, etc. ) you’re doing  something to give your body all that it needs to stay fit.

The camera. The ultimate mind-body fitness machine… that’s fun to use! (and you can’t hang your clothes on it!)

Grab your camera now and lets get fit!

Robert Schwarztrauber

2nd Chance For Camera Cash

Short Note:

Many folks were interested in getting the NewPhotoBiz 1.0 offer I wrote about previously, (Recession Beating Income)but were closed out

Well I’ve just been informed that it will be opening up again, slightly better, next week. Scott has also prepared a FREE online-video introduction that really offers some great Photoshop and business tips as well.

If you missed out last time, you won’t want to miss this. Since I’ve gotten so many questions specifically on Photoshop, I created a new site more dedicated to the details. http://www.photoshophouseofcards.blogspot.com/

You can sign up for Scott’s NewPhotoBiz Lite, free videos when you fill out the name and email form on the top right of my new photoshop dedicated blog, Photoshop House of Cards. Click here to go there now.

Remember, if you’re looking for a great way to create waves of cash using your camera, Scott’s, NewPhotBiz Lite, is the Tsunami you’ve been looking for!

Photoshop House of Cards

Welcome Garden

I’ve been on quite a run of articles lately that focus on making money from doing something fun… Photography.

Today, I’m just going to write a short note on another topic which might not have direct money- making applications, but will certainly make you wiser.

As a regular reader you know that I try to keep this blog touching on the many ways photography can improve your life…make you healthier, weathier and wiser.  Rather than try to get real specific and deep into topics, I plant the seeds of opportunity and offer links to the appropriate resources (at the right side of this page) where you can go to get all the details , right from the experts on that topic.

One of the things I love about digital photography over film is that you can have so much more creative control over the finished print. While trying to get the photo correct right out of the camera is my ultimate goal, I must admit I haven’t yet achieved that level of nirvana yet. And so I am thrilled that programs like Photoshop exist to let me hide some of the flaws.

Beyond that, I love the fact that I can add so much more creativity to scenes that might otherwise be called so-so.

An area that was particularly bothersome to me was seeing a beautiful subject to photograph but not being able to do it justice because the background looked like crap. People, lightpoles, street signs, garbage cans, cars, buildings, and generally too much clutter!

In my quest to eliminate all the junk (and technical errors) from my photos, I found I was getting quite an education on Photoshop. Lots of cool stuff from folks across the net. I started jotting down notes on all the cool techniques I was learning (because I have a devil of a time remembering!).

Next thing I knew I had a whole box of index cards documenting wonderful ways to make your photos look really amazing. Like the 3-D photo shown here of the Welcome Garden. You see a great picture here, but before it became this, it was a clutter.

I wanted to share these tips with my readers (you!) but didn’t feel this was the appropriate spot. So, if you like what you see here and would like to learn more, click over to my new site, dedicated to Photoshop Tips at:

http://www.photoshophouseofcards.blogspot.com

Sign up to get your own set of  FREE Photoshop Tip Cards there too!

Thanks!

Robert Schwarztrauber