Photography as a Visual Gratitude Journal

We’ve all heard that keeping a gratitude journal is good for the soul, but beyond all that woo-woo talk, there’s science that backs it up. Writing down what we’re grateful for helps train our brains to notice beauty and joy in everyday life, reshaping our inner landscape through something called neuroplasticity.

As a visual artist, journaling has always helped me process and reflect… I have a little notebook by my bed where I try to write three things I’m grateful for, and three things I’m proud of myself for, though I’ll be honest, it often turns into a messy vomit of poems, thoughts, and emotions. Still, the act of naming those things makes a difference.

But what I realized a couple of weeks ago is this: photography has always been my visual gratitude journal.

In my personal life, I don’t just take photos of the “big” moments, birthdays, trips, and epic sunsets. I take photos of the little things. The way the light falls across my dog’s face. A friend, laughing with their whole body. A pelican gliding centimeters above the sea. A quiet morning coffee on my porch while birds are chirping. A moonrise on the beach with a friend. I call these the “infinity moments”, and they are where gratitude lives.

Every photo I’ve taken of an infinity moment, those scenes that feel like they stretch forever and disappear in an instant, is an entry in my own gratitude journal. It’s a thank-you letter to the world. A quiet reminder that I was here, that I felt this, that it mattered.

A couple of weeks ago, I read a quote that stopped me in my tracks:

“Photography can be a visual gratitude journal.” - Erika Mann

YES. This is exactly it.

These are the images I return to, again and again. And when I do, I don’t just see the moment, I feel it. I remember the joy, the stillness, the awe. I remember what it felt like to be there. To be alive in that tiny, fleeting moment.

So here’s my invitation to you, whether you’re a photographer or not:

Take three photos today. Of anything or anyone you’re grateful for.

Maybe it’s your dog. Your partner. A messy, sunlit kitchen. The color of the ocean. A hug. A coffee. Your reflection in a mirror after a hard day…

It doesn’t matter what kind of camera you use, your phone is perfect. The point is to see the moment. To feel it. To say, “this matters.”

And if you feel like sharing them, I’d truly love to see what you capture. Shoot me an email, and let me see the world through your eyes.

That’s all for today. Thanks for being here and for spending a few minutes in my world.

Sending you salty sunshine,

Shirena