Archive for Healing with Photography

A Photographer’s Diary, Have You Made Your List?

By Ruth Bayley
Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012

Defenceless Against Snow

The wind down to Christmas started the weekend before with a weekend away.  And I didn’t realise until I was sitting in a sun lounger by the pool at the hotel, after being in the steam room, just how hard it is to actually stop and enjoy doing nothing, particularly as I’ve never been someone who will lie on a beach and sunbathe all day long, as I like to be off doing things. A lady who I was talking to, when I was working in Italy in October, said we have a real problem don’t we in sitting down and do nothing and not feeling guilty for it.

And her words came back to me as I was sitting in the chair absolutely enjoying the heat in the room and being in the moment and doing nothing. The Christmas week in the lead up was quite busy with last minute cooking and dashing here and there so Christmas was a complete wind down. It was time to just sit down, watch some movies and have fun. And it was lovely, to sit down and know a large part of the world was also on stop.

I thoroughly enjoyed the rest, and having given myself the week off until the first proper full week of the New Year I thought it was time to create a mental list of things that I like doing, just as I teach in my Healing with Photography course. And so as I drove past a favourite pub the other day which serves my favourite Italian coffee brand, Lavazza, I thought I could just drive in there for an espresso. Instead I continued on my way and into town and headed straight into a monumental queue of traffic just to get a retail park. Read More→

Categories : Inspiration, Make Better Photographs
Tags : , ,

A Photographer’s Diary, Launching Healing with Photography

By Ruth Bayley
Tuesday, December 20th, 2011

Graceful

This last week I have sent www.healingwithphotography.co.uk website live and it has been a real work of love for me and strangely, I didn’t feel any nerves about sending this one live, unlike my photography website a few months ago.

I decided on a blue theme for the site colour, mainly because I like the softness of it and it’s a positive colour without being aggressive or blinding people with loud tones.

The photography of the lily on the banner is one of my own; lilies are my favourite flower and I think they are so beautiful and graceful.  Hopefully it portrays a sense of calm and tranquillity that through taking my courses people can move into.  And oh look at the trap I’ve just fallen into, explaining my photographs!  I think that we all remember the interesting debate a few months ago as to whether we should or shouldn’t do that.  Ultimately though, it’s a photograph of something that I love. Read More→

Categories : Inspiration, Make Better Photographs
Tags : , ,

A Photograher’s Diary, Chocs Away!

By Ruth Bayley
Tuesday, November 15th, 2011

Welcome to a new style of column for me, moving away from the Starting a Photography business series and into a more general look at the life of a photographer. The articles will remain just as candid as you are used to though it will cover a wider range of topics. So, without further ado onto what’s been keeping me busy these last couple of weeks.

Tranquil Gardens

It’s finally here; Healing with Photography has made its maiden voyage into the arena of the general public. Last week saw the very first session of the course with a group of people who are all suffering from some kind of mental distress.

And strangely, I wasn’t even nervous when I had a group of people gathered in front of me all looking at me expectantly. There were no thoughts of I’m just a photographer passing on knowledge of things that helped me to get better, what am I doing here? I stepped fully into my inner power and talked from the heart. I loved being with this group, I loved slowly observing the participants that had been coerced into attending by the group leader, unconsciously start to unfold their arms, let the barriers down and start to participate fully. Read More→

Categories : Inspiration, Make Better Photographs
Tags : , , , ,

Starting a Photography Business: Part 49 – More Questions Than Answers!

By Ruth Bayley
Tuesday, September 20th, 2011

One recce down, one to go for the proposed photography holidays; it’s the first time of visiting this part of Italy, and the area that I’m going to, Cilento, sits within a national park, my expectations are high. I was drawn here by my friend who lives here and runs her own wedding business, http://www.italybrideandgroom.com/ For brides, this area must be a dream; blue seas lined by beautiful beaches in a quiet intimate town with a wedding meal at a restaurant perched high above the coast in the hilltop town of Castellabate, more about this town later.

Santa Maria, Cilento, Italy

Though as a photography location or an area for Healing with Photography holidays, is it right? That’s what I’m here to find out. As the plane descended into Naples airport, after an absence for me from Italy of four years, I crane my neck to look out of the window and get a glimpse of my beloved island of Capri. As it came into sight tears pricked my eyes, it felt so good to be back after all this time apart.

I arrived at sunset so daylight the following morning was to reveal the secrets of Castellabate and Cilento. A flat coastline, long sandy beaches, lidos – wooden built cafes – lining the beaches and small harbours revealed possible photo locations.

I decide that the high hills that surround the coastal town of Santa Maria probably hold the real magic of the Cilento area. The hilltop town of Castellabate, with its castle, beguiling alleyways and views across the countryside, captured my imagination and I spent a good few hours exploring around here and taking photos. It wasn’t only my imagination that was fired by this town, a film crew were here too making a sequel to the Italian film Benvenuto al Sud. I have a real soft spot for this little town and the restaurant Belvedere, with its delicious food and wonderful views over the bay and the Amalfi coast below. Read More→

Categories : Grow Your Business, Starting a Business
Tags : , , , , ,

Starting a Photography Business: Part 47 – Passionately Connected!

By Ruth Bayley
Tuesday, August 16th, 2011

Meazly Muzzle

I was watching Dragon’s Den the other night, a series where entrepreneurs stand in front of multi-millionaire business people and pitch their product or business for investment. Featured were a couple of women who are doing something very special with music to help children get involved with music and deejaying rather than getting into trouble on the streets. As they were being questioned about their product and how it could be copied, one of them said quite forcefully, it doesn’t matter if people try and copy the format; they can’t do it in the way that we do it and with the passion that we do with it because it’s our passion, our idea.

And it’s the same with Healing with Photography. It’s something I guess that could be replicated, but it’s not something that can be replicated with the passion I feel for it or the energy or love that runs through me when I think about it. It comes from my own experiences, something that I went through and it’s now evolved into helping others.

And this week I’ve been very much putting Healing with Photography out there into the business community to find potential sponsors for the courses. I want to run the courses through MIND, the mental health charity centres, yet funding is an issue for the centres at the moment, so I have decided to go down the route of private sponsorship. Essentially the private sponsorship fees will pay for the website costs, course costs, and my wages. It will also launch the teleseminar series which I hope to be running by the end of this year or the beginning of next at the latest. Read More→

Categories : Grow Your Business, Starting a Business
Tags : , , ,