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How nature photography brought me back from the brink of suicide

Photography offers an escape unlike any other. It allows us to capture moments, create moments, and interpret the worlds we see through a lens. We document, we study, we create art, and for me, this was lifesaving.

Several years ago, in my early twenties, I suffered a huge mental breakdown. It was unexpected, out of control, and hard. Truth be told, I’d been suffering for many years before this but as we all do from time to time, I just pretended my problems weren’t there. I wasn’t pleasant to be around, my head was a very busy place, and I was struggling to cope.

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How emotions mold the art we create

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Have you ever wondered why the images you created a few years ago look very different from the pictures you are taking now? Chances are you became a better photographer. You trained your eye and you got better at post-processing. But I am not talking about the craft. I am talking about the art behind photography. The art that feeds off your emotions.

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How photography has helped me survive difficult times

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Ever since I became interested in photography, I would occasionally read a story about someone who’d used it to help them through an emotional low-point or mental ill health. Little did I realize that I would become one of them, too. Photography has had a positive impact on my life and helped me get through the past year. I was feeling down most of the time after a traumatic event and a particularly rough period of my life. Anxiety and panic attacks became a common feature of my life. But I’ve learned how to use photography to live through it. And live through it well.

The article you’re about to read is a very personal story. It’s more personal than any other article that I’ve written for DIYP. But it’s written with the hope that it can help someone else who might be feeling anxious or depressed. I’ve been through some tough times, and photography’s one of the things that has helped me to not fall apart. I want to tell you more about it and, hopefully, get you inspired and bring you some encouragement.

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How photography can help you fight depression

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According to the World Health Organization, over 300 million people around the world suffer from depression. The mechanisms for coping with it are different, and for Greg Sheard, photography is the way to deal with it. In this video, he talks about how photography is helping him combat depression on a daily basis. And if you (or someone you know) are depressed, this is definitely something you should watch.

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Photography is an antidepressant

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I’ve just uploaded the first in a series of short films I’m making called “Photography Is…”

I’ll be exploring what photography means to people and what it’s benefits are, as well as it’s drawbacks. They won’t all have such as a serious tone as this one, in fact, I’m hoping the opposite is true!

For me, photography is an escape. It offers a creative release which isn’t generally available in everyday life. Those creative escapes can often be far more satisfying than just enjoying a few beers or binging Netflix.

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Photography helped young actor cope with depression and turned into a career

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Other than being a wonderful hobby or profession, photography can help you go through difficult times. For young actor Cole Sprouse, it started just like this – he was “in a dark place” and started using photography to get out of it. But other than helping him feel better, it really took off and he has grown to become a great photographer.

In his recent interview with Duan Mackenzie, he shares his story on how he started and where photography got him. He also talks about his vision of photography, as well as the industry today.

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Why photography matters and how it helped me overcome depression

I kept this post as a draft for months unsure if I should publish it since it discusses things and events that aren’t very easy to share. Just like everything else I write, I hope it can inspire / help at least one person from my personal life experience.

People often ask me why I shoot and when it all started. For a very long time I found this to be one of the toughest questions to answer.

With photography as a creative outlet it’s pretty difficult and near impossible to narrow down to one particular date or one particular event when it all came together.

When you think about it we all, in one way or another, take photos from an early age, this holds even more truth today since all kids have access to their parent’s mobile phone if not their own.

Often people take photos early in life but they do it casually and don’t necessarily think “One day I’ll be a photographer”.

I see it more as a set of circumstances which all led to where I am today.

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Creatives Against Depression: How it feels and how to progress

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Depression? In order to make this hit home what it’s like living with depression I’ve written this article twice. The first half is during my mindset when I’ve been depressed, how I feel, what I think. The latter is my reflection upon the previous article when I’m in a better mindset.

It took me 9 days to turn around my mindset for some brief rest.

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3 Highly Effective Methods To Do Street Photography Ninja Style

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One of the biggest obstacles in street photography is the fear of capturing strangers. I mean, it makes sense. You are taking photos of people without asking them for their permission first. Although it is completely legal in a lot of countries, it still takes guts to pull it off.

Jack Canfield once said: “Everything you want is on the other side of fear.” It’s so true, because once you overcome your fear, a whole new world opens up for you. Incredible Moments and subjects that would’ve never ended up in your portfolio before.

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