The Spirituality in Photography Award 2017 is a competition open to everyone seeking to take photographs with spiritual depth. All entrants will have their photographs displayed on www.spiritualityinphotography.com/ and shared via social media. A panel of judges – including London-based photographers Jay Rowden and Georgie Lord - will select what they believe to be the best entry to win the Spirituality in Photography Award, and a prize of £50 of Darton, Longman and Todd books. Each entrant is asked to submit a photograph which demonstrates spiritual insight or inspiration. The image may be accompanied by a caption of no more than 100 characters, but no further explanation. Photos of children aged less than 16 years old will only be accepted for entry if the consent form is accompanied by a letter of agreement for the child’s image to be published, signed by the child’s legal parent or guardian. The closing date for entries is 31st August and the winner will be announced by 30th September. Entry is limited to three photographs per person.

Press Release

Spirituality in Photography

Taking pictures with deeper vision
Philip J. Richter

An innovative exploration of how photography and spirituality can inspire each other

‘Stop looking - and begin seeing! Because looking means that you already have something in mind for your eye to find; you’ve set out in search of your desired object and have closed off everything else presenting itself along the way. But seeing is being open and receptive to what comes to the eye.’
Thomas Merton

In our ‘snap happy’ culture, millions of photos are taken every day across the world – many of them selfies, which are uploaded onto social media within seconds as a real-time snapshot of what someone is doing (or how they are looking) right now. Yet there are other photographs, writes keen amateur photographer and Methodist minister Philip Richter, which are more carefully crafted and have the capacity to deepen our vision and sharpen our sense of what life is truly about. It is this kind of photography which is the focus for Richter’s new book, Spirituality in Photography, drawing on Thomas Merton’s description of the camera as a ‘contemplative instrument’. As Richter notes, ‘spirituality relates best to patient, slow photography, which takes the time to stop and look, to wind down and be truly present, to see with the eyes of your heart, to receive or make a picture, rather than take it.’

The overarching aim of the book, explains Richter, is to help the reader to create some images which are not just technically good but which express a deeper vision. ‘We will aim to open our eyes, through the camera, to God’s presence in ordinary as well as special places,’ he writes. In order to do this, Richter brings together practical tips and advice for taking the best photographs possible, on a series of themes – including Framing, Perspective, The Ordinary and Everyday, Criticism, Truth Telling and Personal Themes - alongside reflections on these themes from a spiritual point of view. He encourages the reader to take photos more slowly, to reframe their gaze, to allow themselves to be fully present and to let their photos tell a story, including a section on how photography can offer new perspectives on the Bible. Richter also explores how photography can help readers meditate on mystery and tune into their own ‘rule of life’. The book is divided into 11 short chapters, each exploring a topic relevant to photography and spirituality; at the end of each chapter, there is a photographic and a spiritual activity for the reader to try, as well as structured space for reflection, journalling and adding his or her own pictures.

Suitable for beginners and experienced photographers alike – and specifically designed for users of smartphones as well as more high end cameras - Spirituality in Photography is a gentle invitation to ‘let your spirituality and your photography inspire each other.’ The companion site to this book https://www.spiritualityinphotography.com also includes a photography competition to win £50 worth of books (the competition closes on 31 August 2017).

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Philip Richter is a Methodist minister, currently serving as a Ministry Development Officer in the British Connexional Team. A keen amateur photographer, he runs courses and has written about photography and spirituality for a number of publications. He lives in Surrey

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