A phone photography gratitude practice, designed as a mood-boosting creative group activity, during these challenging times.
The Growing Club CIC is a not-for-profit organisation based in Lancaster, founded by Jane Binnion. The Growing Club provides a fantastic range of skills training and opportunities for women, using a creative and alternative peer support model. There is a strong wellbeing ethos within the organisation.
Jane felt that the Gratitude Gallery would be an excellent course to provide for women who wanted to learn phone photography skills and develop a gratitude practice in the process. Over 4 weekly online sessions (and the days in between), the 10 women used their new photography skills to create daily photos of aspects of their life that they're grateful for.
This collection of images is the culmination of our month together and represents the vast array of these moments of appreciation, experienced and captured. Some of the group members have also chosen a favourite image to tell you more about.
Purple Carpet
Rylands park always has the most beautiful spring flowers which I always look forward to. So much colour and richness really nourishes me.
Sarah
Winter Walking
I have chosen Winter Walking because it reminds me of the many happy walks I have taken over the last year with my friends. I have used my new editing skills to change the photo to black and white, which makes the trainers stand out against the snow.
Elaine
Nature's Exclamation Point!
Gratitude for ice or snow? NO!!!
My experiences with these winter wizards have resulted in depressive frustration whenever they stealthily appear, due to the disruptive, dangerous and devastating situations they can trigger. To me snow and ice are restrictive, treacherous, precarious and potentially perilous, completely inconducive to feeling positive and I react to them with deeply anxious caution if I am forced to step over the threshold and take tiny tentative cautious steps only when my preferred option of hibernation is impossible!
The flipside of this reclusive negativity is the gleeful gratitude gained from the glorious thaw which accomplishes the banishing of the spiky icicles while embellishing their rapidly diminishing tails with nature’s exclamation points.
In other words this is a drip that delighted me!
Alison
My Rose
I had recently moved my rose, a Valentine's present from my oldest son Jamie from a few years ago, next to my bedside. Whilst I was doing pilates on my bedroom floor I spotted the the morning sun coming through the window creating a spectacular vision of the rose and it's shadow on the wall. I was stunned by the vivid colours and beauty of the image and immediately stopped my exercises to capture the moment. I have not edited the photo in any way. After I had taken this picture I continued my pilates!
Jean
Crocus Choir
I took this picture on a lovely, sunny, Sunday walk. Spring flowers were everywhere and this little group of crocuses caught my eye as they looked to me as if they were singing!
Emma
Sunset Over Parbold Hill
Following a particularly tough emotional day, I drove to Parbold Hill to specifically catch the sunset. I love the colours and patterns across the sky – which looks as if it comes from Africa. It lifted my heart to capture something so beautiful.
Louise
The Gratitude Gallery
* Whilst browsing the gallery, click on individual images to view the photo titles and name of the photographer.
