The practice of slow looking

Ten quiet minutes can reveal more than another hundred photographs.

Choose one frame

Find a comfortable, safe place and choose a single view. Put the camera away for the first few minutes. Look for the largest shapes first, then the smaller movements inside them: a cloud edge, a reflection, the turn of a leaf.

Describe before explaining

Write three things you can directly see. Separate those observations from your interpretation of them. “A narrow band of pale light” leaves more room for curiosity than a quick judgement about whether a scene is beautiful.

Finish while you are still curious

There is no score to improve and no collection to complete. Leave with a question or a detail worth remembering. A modest ritual is easier to return to than an ambitious routine that needs perfect conditions.