My guest today is Judy Weiser who is the founder and director of the PhotoTherapy Centre in Vancouver, Canada—she is a licensed Psychologist and registered Art Therapist who has pioneered PhotoTheraphy, the use of photo-based techniques as tools for herself and other professionals. I sat down with Judy for the first time back in Episode 93 and today I’m finally publishing part 2 of that conversation.

Judy is going to introduce us (and more particularly me) to Therapeutic Photography—which is using these same photo-based techniques and questions (outside of therapy) in a focused way to more deeply explore our own past. Memory keepers may even practice some Therapeutic Photography techniques without even knowing it. While Therapeutic Photography is much more than simply taking pictures, it does use photos to facilitate the communication of deep feelings. If you teach or have worked in some way to help others better understand themselves and improve their well being through pictures and storytelling you may have unofficially experienced the therapeutic benefits of photography!

One of my main take aways from this session with Judy is the reminder that a photo doesn’t possess or hold a story. It is rather the person looking at the photo that may remember or create a story—the stories we tell are our stories. The meaning and memory that photos hold are different depending on who is viewing and interacting with them. Stories are in YOU and me!

To begin our discussion, Judy asked me to select five personal photos and then briefly describe them. She then shares details that she saw that I either emphasized or left out all together—so even before I knew what she was doing, she was doing it!

Here’s a sampling of the type of questions Judy often asks of someone about their photos. Of course there are no right or wrong responses …

1. How did you select these photos? Was that process difficult or easy?

2. Is there any other photo that you want to share?

3. If this photo could talk to you, what would it say?

4. How would you title this photo if you could?

5. Is there something in this photo you would change to make it better?

6. Who would you like to give this photo to? Who can’t have it?

7. What is the story of the photo?

Judy’s favorite follow up question—and it makes perfect therapy sense—is WHY.
Why? Because why answers always help us understand!

At one point in our conversation Judy walks me through an exercise in decisive action about my five photos. She tells me I have only 15 seconds to choose just one photo to take with me and that I’ll never see the others again. I have often done a similar thing in classes that I teach to help students begin to trust their instincts AND it is as Judy explains very helpful in getting to what’s most important for someone.

Finally and at my request—Judy let’s me explore my feelings for two of my five photos—and yes, as you might assume, I get emotional pretty quickly!

If you enjoy photography or work with photos in any way, I think you’ll find what Judy teaches fascinating.

NOTE: Judy has written a book for therapists but with information that photographers and those who love photos can also learn a great deal from—the first chapter of her book is dedicated to this idea of projecting meaning onto a photo and recognizing the questions you can ask to learn more of that meaning.