Wild and Well: The art of mindful photography

As part of our Wild and Well campaign, we teamed up with Mindful Photography UK for a photographic 'scavenger hunt'. Guest judge Alex Roddie selects his favourite images

Participants in the Mindful Photography 5 Days of Colour Scavenger Hunt were challenged to slow down, take notice and explore the beautiful colours in their local wild places, focusing on a different colour each day of the week to create a rainbow of wild images.

We asked Alex Roddie, outdoor writer and photographer, to pick his favourites, below.

"What strikes me about these particular images is the act of noticing nature’s marvels on a small scale – the details that many people simply never see," said Alex.

"Most of the images I’ve selected also have admirably simple and strong composition. Some make very effective use of repeating patterns and light too. Overall I think this is a wonderful collection and a testament to the powers of being mindful in nature! It also goes to show that you don’t necessarily need to be a professional photographer with a big, expensive camera to capture fantastic images."

Purple

Bee on flower, Jayne Gissing

Alex said: "A simple but delightful garden scene, and an effective study on the colour purple."

Red

Lily, Annie Manzor

Alex said: "This image stood out to me due to its simple, almost abstract composition."

Green

Green leaves, Veronica Shenston

Alex said: "A well-observed scene of pleasing repeating patterns in nature."

Blue

Shells, Elanor Cormack

Alex said: "I think it takes a mindful approach to be able to notice the subtle blue shades in a subject like this – very well seen!"

Orange/Yellow

Leaf, Sally Cameron

Alex said: "The intricate details of this leaf’s veins are well captured in this image, which also shows a wide variety of orange and yellow tones."

Inspired? Why not try creating your own rainbow of photos from your favourite wild places?

• Our guest judge Alex Roddie is an outdoor writer, editor and photographer. He is the editor of Sidetracked magazine, and a regular contributor to publications including The Great Outdoors and UKHillwalking.  His next book, The Farthest Shore, is now available to pre-order
• Thank you to Rebecca Rowan for creating and running this event. Mindful Photography UK works to support wellbeing through photography. Learn more