Contemplative Vision: Photography as a Spiritual Practice

Your digital camera or smart phone can be a window to wonder―and God.

There’s more to life than selfies! With the advent of digital photography and the widespread use of camera-equipped smart phones, we have all become photographers. Can the same technology that makes the upload of selfies and endless posting to Instagram and Facebook also function as a tool for quiet contemplation, connection, and deeper meaning? Indeed yes: the practice of contemplative photography invites people of faith to set aside distractions of contemporary life to view the world through the eyes of the divine and uncover the extra-ordinary in the ordinary.

Reflection questions, suggested activities, invitations to journal and create a volume of discovery, and original photographs taken by the author are accompanied by inspirational quotes and passages from scripture. Providing practical guidance for photography as a means of meditation and reflection and a form of prayer, readers will be encouraged to be seekers, open and present, ready to be refreshed, renewed, and delighted.

Dirk deVries is a former youth pastor, Christian education director, curriculum developer, writer, and editor. A photographer, he leads workshops involving spirituality and photography, and his photos are featured on book covers, curricular resources, and calendars. He is also author of the blog The 60-Second Sabbath and attends St. John's Episcopal Cathedral in Denver. He lives in Denver, Colorado.