Customer Reviews

God Is at Eye Level: Photography as a Healing Art

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Upon reading Jan Phillips latest effort, "God Is At Eye Level", I was called upon to examine where I stood on my journey. Husband, family, & career had taken the time & energies previously used for silent contemplation. Pursuits, especially my photography, had been pushed aside. Frankly, I was reacting to life's events. Jan's book helped me to reclaim the time spent examining this life. It moves you to stop, think, ponder & reflect. It will cause you to focus on the miracles of each day. Her ideas will instill in one the importance of surrounding oneself with those people and things that make you smile. In the process, her book will unlock the creativity that may have been pushed aside to attend to the more mundane aggravations of daily life.

"God is at Eye Level" is a beautiful book--a moving book. Here Jan Phillips discusses the healing effect of photography on the personal and sociological levels. The design, photographs, quote-selections, and lucid writing are artfully woven together to produce an evocative read.

Several sub-themes radiate, all reinforced with illuminating quotes from famous artists and thinkers. Among my favorite themes is the relevance of "the moment," or "the present." As Jan says, when embarking on an "excursion of seeing, the rest of one's life is temporarily on hold. There is nothing to reckon with but the moment at hand." When anchored in the present, one's regrets and fears tend to dissolve. You are treated with a "sweet joy" and the healing nature of a "now" orientation.

Your photographs reflect who you are. As a result, you can discover as much about seeing inside yourself as the world outside. When you go out and shoot, Jan says, "honor your instincts, for the images that result are like clues to a treasure hunt," symbols which later tell you who you are, where you've been, and where you are going.

Jan tries to develop a relationship with everyone she photographs. She strives to achieve empathy with all her subjects. For her, the relationship comes first. Her portraits grow out of this closeness and express the intimacy from which they emerge. As a result, a portrait reflects the authenticity of a person's spirit.

Jan discusses the healing influence photography has upon society. She cites several photographers whose work evoked a national response and encouraged social reform. Among others, Jan includes the work of Dorothea Lange (migrant farmers) and Laura Gilpin (Navajos).

And lastly, many photographers wait until they are inspired before they go shooting. Jan says that for her, inspiration comes while working, not before it. The key is to start working, then discover while underway. Once you do, you will experience the healing nature of photography.

Whether you are a beginner photographer, more advanced or don't even own a camera, this book should be on your shelf. It is a way of looking at the world which makes it a so very personal experience. Her philosophy on creativity brings such a refreshing validation to each person's impact on the world. It really knocked me sideways. This will be a classic.

I found Jan's latest book to be wonderful. I love the exersizes and recently did one called "Portrait Day". Only I changed it to "Portrait Party". I invited my good friends over, told them to wear something that expressed their essence and set up my kitchen as a make shift "studio". It even has a pocket door so our "sessions" could be done in private. Each woman came in and each "shoot" was wonderfully unique and different. Light refreshments were provided and everyone enjoyed themselves. At the end of the day we did several fun group photos. This week we're getting together for a "viewing" of all the photos so we can see what the others did. Everyone wants to do another one - It was a great experience for everyone involved. Thank you Jan!

For me, the prose read like inspired writing. As I read her words, and viewed Jan Phillips photographs, I was influenced , and uplifted, by the spiritual depth, clarity, empathy, wisdom, and balance---all of which were genuinely offered within these artistically presented pages. This book is definitely a valuable and a loving gift to those of us who are aspiring photographers! Each of the participatory Reflections --insightful, enjoyable,down-to-earth FUN suggestions by Jan-- gives us clear ideas/ inspirations to Start where we are, right Now! The book encourages us to explore our creativity, our lives, and the world around us.I know this book is one I will continue to read and re-read. The courage, grace, and wisdom offered to every reader of God Is At Eye Level is ageless.

I happened to notice this wonderful, soulful, book at a local bookstore and was moved by the deceptive simplicity of its title and peaceful image on the cover to pick it up and thumb through its pictures; I was floored by the sincere depth of its message.

The book is a sublime gem that anyone who is interested in what photography is all about, what life is all about, and what their *soul* is all about, owes it to themselves to keep by their side! It will deepen and nourish your relationship with the world.

Jan Philips is a rare creature who is equally well proficient, gifted even, in both effortlessly capturing the timeless beauty and spirit of nature in her photos and providing an eloquent written context for those images to help others find the sacred in the "ordinary." Leafing even through only a few pages will leave almost surely leave one with a sense of tranquility; reading over the entire book, a few times perhaps, depending on mood and temperament, cannot fail to leave even the most downtroden of souls feeling joyful at simply being alive and having the privelage at marveling at life's beauty. The book, in short, is all about how *everything that one looks at* -- and most of all the inner "I" that is always lurking somewhere in the mysterious depths of our souls looking outward through our "eyes" -- is nothing but God looking in.

This is a small treasure of a book that is now on the short list of books I will never part with. Highly recommended.

Jan Phillips writes beautifully about honoring & celebrating people by photographing the relationship she shares with her models. I've recently turned to photographing friends' children during a difficult depression because of the life I see in them & it has indeed been a healing experience. This book is an amazing encouragement to all of us to share the way we see the world to heal ourselves & others. Fabulous!

Jan Phillips helps us bring God to earth and into our interiors from where God springs eternal. She reinforces and gives courage to our belief that if we are only open to ourselves all creativity and life's significance emerges. She reminds us of the powerful and fundamental connection that we all have to oneanother and brings hope that we can make essential changes in ourselves and for those whom we touch.

This is a moving book to guide all would-be photographers (and some who already are) to articulate their highest vision.

In spite of its name and the identity of its publisher (Theosophical Publishing House), this book is NOT only for religious people or "believers". Perhaps the only requirement for the reader is being an idealist.

The book, decorated by many nice and a few extraordinary photographs, can be summarized in a few words like these: Our lives have a purpose, so do the others'. Photography is a tool that helps making others' life better while making you feel better at the same time. Caring for others and, using photography both as a sort of meditation and as a public (universal) service are the two recurring themes. The chapter headings like "Looking for the Joy of It" shows what you might expect from Phillips.

The authors' writing style is both mature and friendly. No technical details for the photographs are given and no advice on matters like exposure or lighting exists. However, there are quite useful little projects (some only as a mental exercise, some for writing down, some for shooting...) suggested at the end of all chapters. This is just one of them: "If you were called upon to document the homeless in your community, how would you go about doing this?" You also find words of wisdom by almost a hundred others (from philosophers to photographers) scattered on almost all the pages like Margaret Atwood's: "The act of making a photograph is less a question of what is being looked than how".

I enjoyed reading the book and I recommend it to those who like to listen to a calm, slightly mystical voice on photography. For others, who think those may be boring, there are at least a dozen choices out there :)