Photography as Spiritual Practice

"Her eye captures it, and then her lens - the low quite edge of the land and the relentless roll of the sea. The instant the photo is snapped, the tears begin to flow. Unbidden they slip down her face, carrying things which were mysteries even to unto her own self."

I wrote this in my journal after finding myself moved to tears by the presence of the sea at the Louisiana Museum in Denmark. It was such holy moment that I wanted to capture it in a photo. Unfortunately my equipment and know-how failed me, and no photo prevailed. But sometimes one does capture a holy moment in a shutter's click. Sometimes a photograph lifts the veil and shows us a deeper truth beyond.

Christine Valters Paintner at Abbey of the Arts has a beautiful post up this week discussing Photography as a Spiritual Practice. In the first section of the post she reveals how capturing certain moments or places in a photograph can connects us to holy space.

For a few seconds we touch time beyond time and in that spacious presence my heart grows wider, my imagination frees, my breath catches, and I am held in awe and wonder.

In the middle section there is a neat summary of how taking photos teaches us decision making skills that can help us in many parts life.

Photography is also about the choices we make in the visual framing of elements, what to include and what to exclude, whether to zoom or pull back. This is a practice of visual discernment: a way of choosing what is important and what needs to be let go of.

And in the closing section we get to hear about the plans for Christine's workshop:  Deep Seeing: Photography & Poetry as Contemplative Practices. And of course, examples of Christine's beautiful winter photography are on exhibit throughout the post.

Riffing off Abbey of the Arts, Sybil Archibald of Painter of Blue adds to the discussion in her post The Spaciousness of Time. Moving from photography to the more general idea of Art and Spirituality, Sybil tells us how being an artist requires her to build the discipline of being present, and how this too marks time as holy.

With these posts in my mind and with the image of that startling Louisiana seascape in my head, I grew hungry for some soulful photos. My first stop was True Colors where Silvia DeVries never fails to show us gorgeous photos (shop here). Her beautiful, honest post We All Need Saving once again demonstrated the interconnection of spiritual insight and the site in a photographer's lens. (Also, Silvia's' Finnish landscape is much like my Danish one, and this photograph echoed the holy seaside moment back to me.)

Then it was off to Shutter Sisters to see the best of Jen Lemen's inspirational photography. This Bright Winter Morning always calls me back to the the spirit of Mothering, to the soulfulness of longing, and to the sacred moments of home. And The Most Powerful Thing You Can Do reminds me of the necessity of the everyday practice of letting go. Before I got my fill, it was just one more stop over at Sweet Salty where Kate's photography drifted my thoughts towards eternity, new life, and peace.

Simonides is often credited with the phrase "Mutum est pictura poema. A picture is a silent poem." Where do you go on the web find the silent poems that feed your soul? Is photography a spiritual practice for you? What photo has most connected with your spirit? Tell us a story and link us up in the comments below.

Rachelle Mee-Chapman is an alt-minister, mom, and writer who blogs about creativity, spirituality and life as an American in Europe at  Magpie Girl. Also blogging at Food Hero and found Sundays at BlogHer. Find all her work by following her on Twitter . Thank you!