Nikon has announced the release of ‘The Mind In Focus’, a new film exploring the role of photography as a tool to support mental health.
Heather Agyepong, British actor, photographer and Nikon Ambassador her intimate approach to photography as a mindfulness practice in a new film, now available on storytelling streaming platform, WaterBear.
The short film follows Agyepong along with creative stylist Vanessa Anglade as they explore the power of photography in their own mental health journeys. Despite their different approaches when it comes to photography, both women find it to be an essential tool for healing, self-reflection and growth.
Agyepong’s previous works include ‘I Wish You Were Here’, which was commissioned by the Hyman Collection, in which she channeled the American vaudeville performer Aida Overton Walker by posing for a series of photographs, addressing themes of mental and physical wellbeing. Similarly, her work The Body Remembers was a solo performance exploring how trauma lives in the body, particularly for Black British women across different generations.
She describes her camera as a therapeutic tool that enables her to express herself creatively.
In the film, both Agyepong and Anglade open up about how photography has helped them understand their identities as individuals and as part of their community, with the aim of inspiring filmmakers and photographers to reconnect the stories that helped shape them.
Agyepong said: "My journey with photography begins with a personal experience of … wanting to get out of this internal chatter, and just focus on something outside of myself. Mental health to me means centering myself and my life and being gentle with myself."
The world is currently experiencing a global mental health crisis, with the World Health Organization reporting that in 2019, 970 million people globally were living with a recorded mental health disorder, with anxiety and depression the most common.
With overstretched health providers and prohibitively expensive services such as therapy, other tools to combat mental health issues are being encouraged, such as spending time in nature, and the creative arts.
Photography, especially self-portraits, can be a unique way of exploring one's emotions and expressing them in a way that feels incredibly cathartic. Similarly taking your camera out into nature, whether alone or with company, can have a calming effect, producing positive distractions, and creating a feeling of being productive.
Whether you’re out snapping on the best iPhone for photography, or the best professional camera, getting out, or staying in and creating something could have a transformative effect.
Stefan Maier, Nikon Europe Senior General Manager Marketing said: "We are incredibly proud to partner with WaterBear on 'The Mind In Focus,' a poignant film that underscores photography's transformative power as a tool for mental well-being. This collaboration aligns perfectly with Nikon's mission to empower individuals through creative expression and visual storytelling.
"By highlighting the journeys of Heather Agyepong and Vanessa Anglade, the film beautifully illustrates how photography can foster healing, self-reflection, and community connection. We hope it inspires filmmakers and photographers to explore the profound impact of their craft on mental health."
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