More than 30 new images have been added to the site in the last week.  Many of these new images have been chosen for their relevance to healthcare design. Some of these photographs were created on Byron’s recent trip to California others were selected earlier from other trips. They include everything from waterfalls to beaches and forests to flowers. Click on the New Images link above to view them. There are several pages of photographs to view.

Image #20101030-68 Reflections of fall in the river

It is now common knowledge that nature images in healthcare facilities are an essential element to the well being of patients and contribute positively to the mental state of visitors. Once you accept these facts, the next logical step in the thought process is the realization that nature images can contribute to the mental and physical well being of the population in general. If a beautiful image of nature helps a patient in the hospital by lowering stress levels, blood pressure and speeding the healing process, doesn’t it stand to reason that such images can have positive benefits on our lives in environments other than just hospitals and clinics? What about retirement communities, corporate offices, government offices, schools and of course our homes? These are all places where the therapeutic effect of fine art nature photographs would be welcomed.  It is exciting to think that fine art nature photographs may have such a positive affect on our emotional and physical well being that they may in fact help to make our trips to the doctor less frequent and our daily lives less stressful.

Image #6622 Morning sunlight streaming through trees

Nature art heals. We all know this intuitively but now scientific evidence is accumulating to support these claims.

Thousands of years ago, the ancient Greeks knew it and designed temples that surrounded patients with nature, music, and art to restore harmony and promote healing. A number of studies have presented strong evidence that even a few minutes of contact with nature can significantly decrease stress, reduce anger and fear, and increase pleasant feelings. This calming effect can be achieved by providing views to the outside, interior gardens or aquariums, or artwork with a nature theme..

As a fine art nature photographer I find this particularly interesting and rewarding. When I have been in the field for several days I come back exhausted but renewed from my experience in the outdoors. The fact that viewing my art can impart this feeling of renewal and healing to others is satisfying.

Sources:
Parsons R, Hartig T. Environmental Psycholphysiology. In Handbook of Psychophysiology, 2nd ed. New York: Cambridge University Press;2000:815-46.
Van den Berg A, Koole SL, Van der Wulp NY. Environmental preference and restoration: how are they related? J Environ Psychol. 2003;23(2):135-46.

We all have a sense of the restorative and healing powers of being in the outdoors and experiencing nature. But can simply viewing art that depicts nature aid in healing our bodies? As a fine art nature photographer it is certainly an intriguing concept. One of my motivations when I create a fine art photograph is to help uplift and inspire people. It  appears that there may be some physical healing that can take place from viewing art images of nature.  Now there is evidence that looking at art that depicts nature can actually have a healing effect on our bodies. Here are some recent findings:

“In Harmony with Nature’s Blueprint” published in Interior Expressions (February 2000), Jain Malkin writes the “effect of nature on humans has been thoroughly studied… humans have physiological and emotional responses to nature.”

In recent years, Roger Ulrich, Ph.D., environmental psychologist, director of the Center for Health Systems and Design, College of Architecture, Texas A&M University, and a leading authority in the field has expounded his “Theory of Supportive Design.” Access to nature is central to this theory. The underlying premise is that “improved medical outcomes are linked to environments’ effectiveness in facilitating stress coping and restoration. Supportive design tries to eliminate stress factors and to include features that reduce stress, calm patients, strengthen coping resources… including access to nature.”

Ulrich has cited numerous studies showing that “viewing nature can produce significant recovery from stress, which in turn, can lead to cost-savings, by improving medical outcomes,” going as far back as a 1984 Science paper which stated: “patients with bedside views of nature had briefer hospital stays and needed less medication.” In a September 2000 presentation titled “Evidence-based Environmental Design for Improving Medical Outcomes,” Ulrich argued that “exposure to nature produces significant recovery.” Both psychological and physiological stress reduction are noted, as measured by “less anxiety, calmness, reduced blood pressure, muscle tension, heart and respiratory rates.”

Interesting…..

Today we are announcing a brand new addition to the website! The new gallery will be a collection of cloud images. Images of clouds and skies can be healing and peaceful as well as giving a generally more uplifting and inspired mood to a space. You can view the gallery by clicking HERE