Photography Club

Rebecca Boardman Holly Scrivens

Gordon Rogers

Thriving group promotes mindfulness through photography

Established in June 2020, the Photographing Bromsgrove Facebook Group now has more than 150 members and continues to attract interest from local snappers of all ages and abilities.

Initially set up as a platform to share his own images of the local area, group founder Neil MacDonald was keen to get others feeling the health and wellbeing benefits of mindfulness through photography. “At a time when the COVID-19 lockdown had us in its grip, I was keen to explore more of the local town and countryside on foot,” said Neil. “Not having to commute to work each day gave me more time, energy and motivation to roam the town and surrounding countryside. Each time I ventured out I was amazed how easy it was to discover new things of interest. “Old buildings, impressive scenic views, flora and fauna were constantly coming to my attention. Prior to the pandemic, my mind was just too pre-occupied with daily distractions to notice these things.” People don’t need to be an award-winning photography wizard to experience the wellbeing and health benefits such a hobby brings. Nor do you need the latest top of the range photographic equipment. All you need is a smart phone and you are good to go. As well as offering a rewarding hobby, photography encourages us to be more active and contributes to a healthy mind. Photographing Bromsgrove offers a platform for individuals (of any standard) to share their images or positive moments, communicate learning about photography or the local area. The group also gives members the opportunity to socially engage with others in the local community through personal interests in their local area. More broadly, today is tomorrow’s history and the group offers a potential source of captured history for future generations. “Photographing Bromsgrove has evolved over the last year to encourage the community to engage with the built, social and natural environment within which they live. Bromsgrove district is packed with natural beauty, history and culture – you just need to take a small moment to stop and look up to observe and experience it,” added Neil. This month, Completely Bromsgrove has shared just a small selection of the 300+ images submitted to Photographing Bromsgrove in the last month alone. We are confident readers will agree that our local area has a lot to show off and be proud of. Please enjoy and feel free to check out Photographing Bromsgrove on Facebook if you want to share your own images of the local area or simply enjoy the work of others.

Margaret Rose Davies

“I love these pages. It celebrates the best of Bromsgrove and its surroundings in every season. During the first lockdown, I started walking from my front door and have continued ever since, exploring the diversity of nature in our beautiful park, capturing sunsets and discovering new landscapes. I even made a ‘Beautiful Bromsgrove’ photobook to dip into and remind me of things to be thankful for in these unprecedented current circumstances.” Rebecca Boardman “I love where I live in Bromsgrove. It’s a beautiful place with great scenery where you can escape and take your photos and great to post them on photographing in bromsgrove and sharing with the community. Thank you” Joanne Lewis Fitton