Spring Reset
My mindful photography journey continued. After the wonderful Winter Wellness Club, it felt natural to join the next three-month session of the Photographic Connection community, called Spring Reset.
The goal of this session was to use mindful observation and photography exercises to notice seasonal changes more consciously and to develop a deeper connection with the season.
Each month included a new learning video, along with exercises designed to provide inspiration and guidance.
We also had scheduled Zoom catch-ups every other week, where we shared experiences and learned together.
Following my suggestion at the end of the Winter Wellness Club, a technical support area was introduced. Each month, everyone could submit a photo, and Kim and Brian would record a video and offer helpful suggestions on how the image could be improved. It was far more than I had anticipated.
23rd March - 19th April 2026: Light and Seeing
This months theme centred on light as the essential medium of both life and image-making. With spring bringing longer days and shifting natural light, we were encouraged to slow down and deepen our awareness of how light changes and how it influences both photography and everyday experience. The month was structured into three practices:
- Observation: Notice light in daily life (direction, softness/harshness, warmth/coolness, what it illuminates) to become more sensitive and present without taking photos.
- Reflection: Consider how increased daylight after the equinox affects mood, energy, creativity, and what subjects feel appealing to photograph.
- Creation: Photograph with attention to direction of light (backlight, side light, direct, diffused, spotlight), either by using one lighting direction across different subjects or multiple directions on one subject.
Learning to see light is a lifelong practice. I have to stay curious, watch the light, and let it guide me what I photograph.
20th April - 17th May 2026: Relationships and Connections
This month, I focused on photographing spring by noticing relationships and connections rather than treating subjects as isolated objects. I worked from the idea that everything I photographed existed within a wider context and that my images became more intentional when I paid attention to how elements within a scene related to one another.
Before I even took out my camera, I slowed down and spent time observing and reflecting. I sat somewhere comfortable - outside, in the garden, or by a window - and gave myself permission to be still. As I stayed longer, my awareness deepened: what first looked like “a tree” became part of a living system. I noticed how light caught certain leaves, how wind shaped movement, and how the tree’s position reflected the land, soil, and time. I gently shifted from simply looking at things to noticing how things interacted.
To guide my observations, I asked myself questions about:
- Light: where it came from, what it highlighted or hid, and how it shaped texture and mood.
- Colour: how colour drew my eye, whether tones harmonised or contrasted, and what palette dominated.
- Shape & form: how the subject’s shapes compared with surrounding forms, including repetition and contrast.
- Composition & relationships: how the subject related to its surroundings and how foreground, middleground, and background worked together (or distracted).
- Movement & environment: what was moving (wind, water, people), how weather influenced the scene, and what forces had shaped the place.
- Visual flow: what I noticed first, where my eye travelled next, and whether the scene felt balanced.
- Perspective: how moving closer/further or changing my angle strengthened the relationships in the frame.
- Emotional connection: why the scene mattered to me, what it made me feel, and how I could express that feeling in an image.
I thought quite a lot about this month's theme. What could I photograph that shows my relationship to nature? What could depict connections in nature or in life? Then I thought about the places I most often photographed in the last few years. One of these places is our local park area, which is just 5 minutes' walking distance away from our house. Especially during the pandemic, it gave us so much comfort and joy. It is divided by a small river and has a few ponds. Ducks and geese and lots of other birds can be observed, and your eyes can relax by looking over the open fields. The parts divided by the river are connected by wooden bridges. Although I have so many, I love to take more and they are always different.
Later in the month, I was lucky to capture a cute bumblebee just flying into a flower symbolizing the relation between plants and their pollinating insects.
Ultimately, I took this chapter as a reminder that simple, patient observation helped me see more depth and connection - in my surroundings and in myself - and that this awareness became the foundation for stronger composition and more meaningful photographs.
18th May - 14th June 2026: Noticing the Details
This month was all about slowing down and starting to truly notice the details in the world around us. The main focus of this theme was reconnecting with your inner child – that natural sense of curiosity we all had when we were younger. Children are fascinated by the world. They look closely at things, pick things up, ask questions, and become completely absorbed in small details that adults often overlook. This month, I loved you to bring that same curiosity into my photography and daily life.
The One Metre Square Exercise
I love this exercise. Just sitting in one spot for some time, first just observing what is present and happening in a small space around me. This observation opens countless opportunities for photography. The best tool for this exercise is a macro lens. Beautiful images of bugs, insects, and the interesting colours and textures of leaves can be captured. So much to explore, so much to photograph. It is fascinating.
I also used this month’s theme for a photo walk in Delmenhorst. I specifically looked for interesting details, interesting colors, patterns, and textures. The result surprised me a lot.
End of the Spring Reset
Unfortunately, the three months of the Spring Reset are already over again. The community Kim Grant has formed is extraordinary. I never would have believed how comfortable I could feel in an online community like this, and how much my photography could benefit from it. But it’s not only my photography that has benefited. I notice things around me that I didn’t see before, and I perceive my surroundings much more clearly and richly. Luckily, the community will continue. It will be carried on as a monthly subscription. I’m very grateful for that.
