🌳 When Hugging a Tree Feels Like Therapy
I want to share something a little different with you today.
A few days ago, I had back-to-back photo shoots: the first in the heart of central London, horns blaring, scaffolding clattering, the air thick with noise and fumes. I was scouting shoot locations for a big corporate law firm. I love London — it’s where I was born — but after a full day, the city’s energy can be relentless.
The very next morning, I was deep in the heart of rural Suffolk, photographing a premier Art Gallery owner in the beautiful village of Yoxford; the contrast couldn't have been any more stark. It was a long day, and the job needed my complete attention for this, a new client's detailed photo shoot.
Being back in deepest Suffolk reminded me of a visit to Bradfield Woods, near Ipswich, where I was working for the Suffolk Wildlife Trust, and photographing their mindfulness and wellbeing course. It was a time in which I had the opportunity to participate in some truly back-to-nature activities.
Visiting these woodlands was as if I'd been granted permission to visit an ancient secret place. Birds singing, smoke from the campfire curling through the trees, people quietly leaning against oak trunks with their eyes closed. The air was alive with the scent of damp earth, moss, and woodsmoke, that unmistakable perfume of a living woodland.
My job that day was to capture the spirit of the woodland course for their brochures, website, and campaigns. But somewhere along the way, I realised I was being pulled into it too. I actually slowed down. I noticed the smell of the earth, the rhythm of the woods, and the feeling of space around me. It was rare, restorative, and it reminded me of something important: When you stop long enough to really notice, you see with fresh eyes.
I was asked to visually capture the essence of their mindfulness and wellbeing class, which had been running for some weeks. The images were needed to promote their various courses, to be used in their poster campaigns, brochures and new website. The courses entailed spending a morning in the woods practising mindfulness and nature connection techniques, discovering new methods aimed at re-energising oneself through nature, slowing down, listening, looking with intention and absorbing the smells of the woods and the environment around us, and of course, hugging the ancient trees.
The afternoon ended with us cooking our lunch over the fire. Approaching this assignment with an open mind, purely intent on taking a backseat, observing and illustrating the day in the best way I could. But I was soon drawn into the programme of events, almost forgetting to take pictures at one point. It's very rare that I get a chance to really slow down, to actually listen to bird song, to look at my surroundings with purpose and intent at the nature around me. Even when walking our dog, or walking with friends, do I ever purposefully slow down and actually listen, taking in the beauty of the world around us, to stop for a while and appreciate the nature around us?
I know that some of you reading this might think this is some new-age hokum or pretentious nonsense, but when you're in the hands of a knowledgeable guide taking you through some simple techniques, we're able to slow our pace and immerse ourselves in the environment. The impact of this mindfulness practice and feelings of connectivity, and subsequently how outdoor experiences and green spaces affect feelings of wellbeing, as well as hormonal regulation, have been studied and proven to be beneficial to us all.
Watching and photographing others connecting with the trees and the fauna of the woods lent a particular therapeutic and almost restorative immersion with the nature around us. A sense of well-being and renewal from a meditative state of being was lovely to see and to photograph.
The act or even art of photography has many similarities, especially when one slows down and understands the environment around us with intention, whether this is an urban setting or an ancient woodland environs; this enables us to lower our tempo and emotionally connect with our surroundings.
For me, the best portraits happen in those unscripted moments when someone drops their guard and is simply themselves. That’s what I look for every time I pick up my camera.
The same is true for brands and professionals. Too often, visuals are safe, polished, and forgettable. They blend into the noise. But when you make space for authenticity — when your images reflect your true character and story, that’s when people stop, notice, and connect.
That’s what I give my Personal Branding clients. Not just a set of flattering pictures, but the opportunity to step out of the rush, see themselves differently, and be seen in a way that feels genuine and powerful.
So here’s my invitation: pause for a moment this week. Hug a tree if you like. And if your business or personal brand is ready for images that feel alive, let’s talk. That’s the work I specialise in creating.
