How to View Your Photos with Compassion
By Madison Lane
Photography is more than images; it’s a mirror into your own story. These photos are not for anyone else but you—a chance to see yourself with softness, reverence, and gratitude. Here’s how to approach viewing your photos with compassion:
1. Make It a Ritual
Set aside intentional time to look at your photos. Light a candle, play music, or create an environment that feels safe and grounding. Romanticize this experience. This is not just about seeing photos—it’s about seeing yourself.
2. Allow the Feelings
When you first see your images, emotions may rise—excitement, joy, discomfort, vulnerability. Let them. Your body holds memories, and seeing yourself can stir them. Every emotion has value; every feeling belongs.
3. Shift the Focus
Instead of fixating on what you don’t like, tune into what this body has carried you through. See the strength, the softness, the story that your image tells. This body is not an object to critique—it is a vessel that holds your life.
4. Become the Mirror
When you look at a photo, imagine that you are not just looking at yourself but at the mirror of the world’s beauty. Every reflection tells a story, one that continues to shine no matter what storms it has endured. Your photos are not about perfection; they are about presence.
5. See the Light
To view your photos with compassion is to recognize the light in you that refuses to be dimmed. Your eyes, your energy, your essence—they carry more than appearance; they carry your truth.
6. Reframe the Narrative
Imagine your photos hanging in a gallery in Paris, displayed as erotic fine art. What would you feel if strangers stood in awe, seeing beauty where you once saw flaws? Your reflection is art—worthy of celebration.
7. Affirm Yourself
The world often teaches us to hide, to quiet our brilliance. Instead, let these photos remind you to love yourself loudly. Be heard. Be seen.
Write affirmations as you view your images:
I love myself.
I am art in motion.
My body is worthy of reverence.
