We currently live in an increasingly busy and technology-dependent world, where many of us spend the day looking at screens in an enclosed space. In our major cities, people of today’s generations have become so cut off from the natural world that when they experience even simple things like tall grass or the musty smell of the forest, they react as if it were something strange.

Mental problems are becoming more prevalent among children and adults alike due to constant notifications from social media. People just don’t have the means to simply “isolate” themselves from their lives or the lives of others.

One way to get in touch with the natural world is to capture what is in it through photography. To photograph landscapes and nature you need to be in it, and you will find that you experience the great outdoors in all their wonder and beauty as a by-product of doing that activity. You will find yourself thinking less and less about other things as your eyes open and your mind clears. Photography is not a difficult thing to start doing as you are not expected to be good from the start and you do not need to ask other people for permission or help. You can simply travel to a remote or isolated area with forests, grasslands, highlands, and coastal areas and start photographing what you find.

Outdoor photography can be used as a means to promote creativity in people from all walks of life and skill levels. You don’t need to be a photo composition expert to capture a fantastic image that you can show others! By getting out into the wild spaces, you will begin to see the world differently! You will notice the intense blue of the sky against that green of the trees, there is moss growing on that rock! – There’s more than one kind of moss growing on that rock! You’ll see things you never knew were right with you, and you’ll go places you never knew existed. The fresh air and sunlit views can clear your mind enough to inspire your next big thing, as the act of putting one foot in front of the other helps a restless mind.

As for which gear to use, that’s up to you, as there are cameras available for all interest levels. For beginners, only the camera that comes with smartphones is suitable for most basic landscape shots, and beyond that, entry-level dedicated compact models will produce impressive results.

By exploring the environment, you are doing a lot of walking, going from one photo to another. Therefore, you may not realize that you are doing a physically demanding activity while doing something you love. This sustained and prolonged effort is beneficial to your physical health. Sometimes you walk miles in a day and in some cases you can be outside for several days! All of this is good for your health, and sometimes people find that exploring the natural world has reversed existing health problems. Just the stress-reducing effects of a walk through green, open spaces is enough to promote healing and improvement.

Another benefit of immersing yourself in the natural world is the increase in your overall mood and emotional state of well-being. Being in the peaceful setting of a forest, listening to the wind blowing through the trees and the songs of the birds as they do their thing is a relaxing experience. This relaxing experience can have a profound effect on people who experience frequent stress and anxiety in their daily lifestyle.

It is with these reassuring situations that it can be said that just being there can help to improve and treat people suffering from mental health problems. Many people live in an urban environment and would have to travel miles to get out of the concrete sprawl, but just seeing open spaces like fields and walking in small patches of woodland or moorland would give you a breather.

When you immerse yourself in nature, you will find that you become more aware of yourself and everything around you. You will feel the passing of the seasons more intensely and you will notice all the changes that occur in the life of plants and animals almost with each passing week of the year. Photo opportunities arise at different times and you will learn where to be at any given time and already have an idea of ​​what you might find or witness.

With our increasingly virtual lives where we only interact with others with brief typed messages across a small screen, experiencing the world for yourself will teach you to live in the moment again.

Getting outside and experiencing the outdoors with photography could open up other outdoor interests and activities. So, in addition to hiking and climbing, you might find yourself interacting with people interested in camping and the jungle craft community. You may even be drawn to participate in local wildlife conservation efforts. All of these things are good, as they help combat any feelings of social isolation you may have acquired beforehand, and you’ll gain lots of new friends who share your interests.

So make landscape photography one of your new hobbies and don’t forget to look at the world through your eyes and not just through a glass lens!