LETTING PHOTOS SPEAK
Westminster Central Hall was the venue last week for the launch of Letting Photos Speak, a new book exploring connections between photography and spirituality. Philip Richter, supernumerary minister in the Salisbury Circuit, is co-author, together with professional photographer and former Anglican military chaplain, Steve Radley, and Methodist minister, Andy Lindley. The book is for anyone who takes photos, on standard cameras or smartphones, and who wants to explore personal meaning and well-being through their pictures. Steve tells how he found photography particularly helpful in managing his memories of war. He reveals how his camera offered him post-traumatic growth and a new appreciation of life.
The authors were inspired to write the book by their shared interest in photography and spirituality and the ways in which photography can be used to access the benefits of mindfulness and contemplation. In a fast-paced society, it can be difficult to slow down and become aware of the present moment. They say they were keen to write a book which said, ‘hey, let’s use some of the inventions from the attention-grabbing economy to help us appreciate the beauty of the world that we so often miss when we are rushing from task to task’.
Letting Photos Speak is available from bookshops, online and the Darton Longman & Todd website (until the end of September you can get a 60% discount with the code ‘SUMMER!’).