Let’s start or end your day with calm and alert focus and a 14-second photo meditation at blue hour. Blue hour is that hour before sunrise or after sunset when the sun is low on the horizon and the light is soft and cool toned. It evokes a lovely mysteriousness to your photos (and when you're at a lake, it's beautiful to see!). 

Remember to let your exhale be longer than your inhale.
Breathe in and out through your nose.
‍inhale to a count of 5
pause for two
breathe out to a count of 7

Let me know if you enjoyed this. Leave a comment or a heart over on Instagram. And please share with someone you think is awesome and who might love a relaxing photo meditation, too.

‍A morning meditation practice starts your day with calm intention (much better than starting your day with the outside world’s chaotic agenda).

It boosts your focus, decompresses your nervous system and is an anchor point of relaxation throughout your day.

I was laying in bed this morning on our vacation in Northern Michigan, not entirely thrilled to be wide awake at 5:30am. Matt rolled over and said, “look we’re on on golden pond this morning”. I looked out the window and it was gorgeous out. How he knew this through the blackout shades is a mystery, especially since we’ve had quite a few rainy mornings, up here, but I’m glad he spoke up.

I made my way down to the lake (a 20-second walk) to enjoy listening to the lapping waves while watching the sunrise.

It was beautiful.

So much of photography is a meditation to me, a living, breathing, walking, shooting mindfulness experience, but this morning was even more lovely because I was in such awe of...

I am a water person. I’m also a dog person (but not a wet dog person!). We divide ourselves up into dog person, cat person, water person. 

But wait… lest there be on more way to divide us, please know that we are all water people. 

You might be shaking your head no, but neuroscientists know better. Our brains, hearts, and planet are all made up of over 70% water. This deep biological connection to water means that, as humans, we love it. 


Our brains are hardwired to recognize the evolutionary purpose of water and our connection to it. This makes sense because we can't actually live all that long WITHOUT water. When we are in, on, under, or near water our brains reward us with what marine biologist, (in his book by the same name), Wallace J. Nichols calls Blue Mind. Just coming close to the water’s edge floods our brains with calming neurochemicals, reducing our cortisol (and our stress levels), and increasing our capacity for awe. 

What is...