One-Day Workshop: Shinrin Yoku, Forest Bathing, and Nature Photography

Why Photographic Seeing Matters in Nature-Based Practice

We live in a world of images. Smartphones make photography available almost everywhere, and countless images are captured, shared, and evaluated every day. This makes it all the more interesting to ask what changes when photography is used not simply to record a moment, but to slow down and look more closely. Photography is a form of directed attention. The moment we frame an image, we decide what enters the picture, what remains outside it, and which perspective becomes meaningful. In nature, this can encourage closer observation, greater sensitivity to detail, and a more conscious relationship with place.

For practitioners working with Shinrin Yoku, forest bathing, forest therapy, in counseling, education, coaching, or nature-based health promotion, photography can offer an additional, accessible point of entry. An image can become a starting point for perception, reflection, and a shift in perspective—without prescribing what someone should see or feel.

Research also points to interesting connections. In a study of 395 participants, people were encouraged to intentionally notice nature in everyday life, photograph scenes that evoked emotion, and reflect on those feelings. Participants in the nature-focused group later reported, among other outcomes, more positive affect and a stronger sense of connectedness. →Read the Passmore and Holder Study (2017)

Expanding Nature-Based Practice Through Photography

The workshop combines firsthand experience in the forest with professional photographic guidance and shared reflection. The emphasis is on understanding how photographic seeing can be used thoughtfully and responsibly within different professional contexts.

What Makes This One-Day Workshop Distinctive

Two Perspectives on Forest and Nature—One Shared Practice

Experienced instructors: Dr. Melanie H. Adamek contributes expertise in Shinrin Yoku, nature perception, and practical application; professional photographer Bernhard Lehn brings the photographic eye and expertise in image composition.

Firsthand experience and exchange: In the forest, participants discover new perspectives on nature and experience how photographic exploration can shift perception. Back in the seminar room, the group reflects on what emerged and considers how these experiences may inform professional practice.

Exclusive small group: Limited to 4 to 8 participants for personal guidance, individual feedback, and meaningful exchange.

Photography with your own smartphone: No prior photography experience or special equipment is required.

Four seasons: Spring, summer, fall, and winter each offer their own light, colors, atmosphere, and perspectives. Each date can be booked separately.

May 8, 2027 | June 26, 2027 | October 9, 2027 | December 4, 2027

Forest and Nature Photography with Professional Photographer Bernhard Lehn

From Attentive Seeing to Expressive Images

Bernhard Lehn is a Munich-based professional photographer. His work is defined by precision, a keen sense of atmosphere, and an eye for subjects that often reveal themselves only on closer inspection. The forest offers a particularly rich visual environment: changing light and shadow, color, water, moss, bark, and shifting weather conditions continually create new images. In this workshop, Bernhard shows how attentive seeing and feeling can become expressive photographs. The focus is not on technical perfection, but on learning to look more closely and translate what you see and feel into an image.

Bernhard has been closely connected with IM-WALD-SEIN® from the beginning. He photographed our original forest-bathing experiment and developed the IM-WALD-SEIN® Wall Art series.→ IM-WALD-SEIN® DIY