Adventure to a place of
inner peace,
even while journeying through a
world gone mad.
In The Mindful Photography Field Guide, Joe Van Wyk shares 15 smartphone photography practices that can help bring you back to sanity when you spiral into depressing, anxious thoughts. Filled with full color photos, practical how-to action items, engaging stories, and solid research, this book reveals time-tested practices you can use to recenter your mind, embrace the present moment, and experience the full joy of living.
The best part? No photography experience is needed. Whether you are an adventurer, a seeker, or a creative soul longing for peace and connection in a chaotic world, you’ll find the keys to practical, everyday mindfulness in these pages.
Transform your smartphone into a powerful tool to access inner peace
Experience joyful presence, rather than distraction and stress, during difficult times
Bless others with your gifts to spread feelings of love, laughter, and happiness
Years ago, during a dark period in my life, I realized that while I was practicing photography I wasn’t dwelling on my problems. I was getting a taste of present-moment awareness and what that feels like in my body. As a result, I gained courage to sit with tough emotions without judging them or myself. That felt empowering. Challenges with depression and anxiety forced me to discard outdated and ineffective beliefs and to instead implement tools that actually work for me, bringing me inner peace in the present.
Joe Van Wyk and Frankie the Doodle
Roaring Fork Valley, Colorado
Frequently Asked Questions
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In the book you will find engaging practices that foster hope and inner peace. Unfortunately, the following statistics aren’t so positive and encouraging. 700,000 people die by suicide each year (World Health Organization). Men are particularly vulnerable, ending their own lives at nearly 4x the rate of women. White males accounted for nearly 70% of suicide deaths in the U.S. in 2021 (American Foundation for Suicide Prevention). Nothing is as tragic as someone successfully taking their own life. That said, ponder this: for every suicide completion, there are 25 attempts (Merck Manuals). That means there are 17.5 million suicide attempts each year. Hopelessness and despair are all around us. Perhaps you are struggling too. If so, this book is for you. It is written by someone who was desperate to find relief from chronic dark thoughts.
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In The Mindful Photography Field Guide, Joe Van Wyk shares 15 smartphone photography practices that can help bring you back to sanity when you spiral into depressing, anxious thoughts. Filled with full color photos, practical how-to action items, engaging stories, and solid research, this book reveals time-tested practices you can use to recenter your mind, embrace the present moment, and experience the full joy of living. You’ll find whole new level of love and commitment to your photography practice.
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Photographing Mindfully
Creating for Connection
Focused on 5 Senses
Lost in Creation
Present
Aware
Photographing Non-Mindfully
Creating for Likes
Detached from Reality
Lost in Thought
Hurried
Asleep
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These practices are specifically designed for smartphone photography. I do realize that mindful smartphone photography sounds like an oxymoron. On one hand, we have the mind-blowing advancement of smartphone cameras. On the other hand, we are balancing the fact that smartphones are society’s number one killer of presence (and advertisers’ top choice for controlling our minds).
However, with discipline, we can take a mindful approach to our smartphones too. As such, each practice in this book starts with the intentional act of turning your smartphone into a camera, turning on airplane mode, and cutting off your outside connection while you are practicing.
The exercises in this book will help you master the amazing camera that’s always with you. You’ll practice photographic awareness, scenes, macro-photography, landscapes, abstracts, architecture, street photography, portraiture, approaching strangers, editing, organizing, and archiving your work.
Practice 1
(Joe's personal fav)
“Chase Things That Sparkle.”
Part of the three “Follow the Light” practices, “Chase Things That Sparkle” will help you notice glittering flashes of light—aka sparkles. You will see common things in an inspiring way—like observing glittering gold showering down through fall Aspen trees. You will also see things you once thought were insignificant in new ways, like the twinkling highlight in your dog’s eye, or the sparkle of your sweetheart’s earrings. All the while, you’ll find yourself lost in the present moment, simply enjoying the act of creating.
Are you eager to elevate your smartphone photography but often find yourself unsure of what to shoot? Join me as I share a transformative technique I learned from a favorite photography teacher: when in doubt, just follow the light.
About Joe
Author, Father, and Christ-Follower Joe Van Wyk shares his transformative story of developing these therapeutic mindful smartphone photography techniques. In his career he has served clients with his gifts in photography, videography, design, and publishing. A previous urban street photography fanatic, he is now a lover of mindful hikes in the pine trees and walks along roaring rivers. Joe lives in Glenwood Springs, Colorado with Frankie the Doodle, who you will see throughout these powerful stories of encouragement.
