PHOTOGRAPHY AS A VEHICLE FOR SPIRITUAL GROWTH

When I arrived at Findhorn I had already been doing photography for several years, having received a BFA in Photography and studied extensively with a teacher whose approach to photography was as a vehicle for spiritual growth. This was based on being present and connecting with your subject before ever taking a photograph. So working in the Visuals department and photographing the gardens and people was a natural extension of that way of really seeing and being, and part of my profound transformational experience at Findhorn.

In addition to the publicity photos we provided in Visuals, we created various slide shows and videos about Findhorn. One summer was spent creating a new show every week with the performing arts department, for the Lollipop theatre. Images were dissolved into each other with multiple projectors onto life-size panels, actors and dancers moved in and out of the scenes, all accompanied by many talented musicians.

Collaborating like that was one of the most creative experiences of my life. Another project during that time was The Findhorn Garden book. It was Findhorn’s first book by a major publisher, Harper & Row, and the Publications department and Visuals did the whole production in-house, which was really exciting.

I worked in Visuals twice, 1972-75 (with Jim Bronson and Crispin Current) and again in 1977-81 (with Edwin Maynard and Charles Petersen). During this second time, the Faces of Findhorn book was our major project, and later on the Findhorn Family Cookbook with Kay Lynne Sherman. My time at Findhorn and in Visuals definitely shaped my perception of what is important in life, as well as shaping my career path in photography, for which I am truly grateful.

Kathleen Thormod Carr