Before You Begin
This exercise is not about producing a photograph.
It is about releasing the pressure to make something meaningful.
You don’t need a destination.
You don’t need a plan.
You don’t need to come back with an image.
If you have a camera, bring it.
If not, simply bring your attention.
The Exercise
Go out with your camera — or your phone — and make one quiet agreement with yourself:
You are not trying to make a good photograph.
Walk slowly.
Pause often.
Photograph only when something gently asks for your attention.
There is no need to explain why.
If nothing happens, stay anyway.
That is part of the exercise.
If you take photos, take only a few.
Then stop.
What This Is Really About
This exercise is about noticing how much pressure we bring into seeing.
The need to produce.
The need to justify time.
The need for results.
By removing expectation, you allow photographs to appear — or not — without conflict.
Photography becomes lighter when nothing is demanded of it.
When You’re Done
Do not review the images immediately.
Let them rest.
Later, when you look, don’t ask if they are good.
Instead, notice:
- How did you feel while photographing?
- Did the pressure soften at any point?
- Did you feel more present?
That awareness is the result.