Everyone’s a photographer these days. It’s so easy now to point and click without paying the least bit of attention to what we’re doing. No skill is required, not even the most basic understanding of photography. But with this new paradigm, what are we missing? As professional photographer Kim Fuller shares in the 12 fascinating lessons of Mindful Photography, we’re missing a great deal. Not that there’s anything wrong with pulling out our smartphone and grabbing a quick shot; that has its time and place. But as Ms. Fuller shows us, no matter what type of camera we’re using, the experience of taking a photo can be transformative—in our own life and, in portraiture, in the life of our subject.

Mindful photography is the art of slowing down and looking at any subject with a particular type of attention in the present moment, without judgment, and then documenting what you see through the camera lens. When you become fully aware of what you’re seeing and feeling in that moment, then you become a mindful photographer.

Mindful Photography is an exciting and highly interactive course. While you will have the opportunity to see many of Ms. Fuller’s photographs as she uses them to illustrate her lessons, this is not a course for passive learning. Your expert will guide you through mindfulness exercises, offer prompts to help you learn and grow by journaling, and give you assignments to accomplish between lessons.

Whether you are learning to meditate, taking pictures, or journaling, mindful photography provides an additional dimension for learning. Not only will it help you expand your photographic creativity, but more importantly, it will help you become more aware of yourself and your surroundings in your one precious life.