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Dear Friends, Last week we asked you to send us photographs of objects that are meaningful to you and Cathy Newman sent us a beautiful photograph of her late father’s camera and lenses. This week we are going to talk about photography so it seems the ideal photo to spotlight: It was about a year […]

Dear Friends There are many reasons why photography is a special artform. One is the fact that we can use photographs to capture, document and remember the people, places, moments and objects that are meaningful to us.  Indeed, we naturally seek meaning. What’s more, we naturally strive to make meaning out of our surroundings and

Dear Friends, This week we are making good on our promise to highlight the communities within SeeingHappy. We are spotlighting a photo composite by Mandy Seligman and Jill Sherman titled “Hope” and the writing of Louisa, a teenager from Graz, Austria. It is an example of the power of art to connect people across time

Dear Friends, Take a look around your house, apartment, or dorm room, and look at the photographs you have on display. Now think of your friends, relatives, anyone, and reflect upon what types of photos that they have in their homes. We bet that there are a lot of family photos, especially photos of children

Dear Friends, This week’s spotlight is sure to touch everyone’s heart – we could not resist this gorgeous pup. Thank you so much to Bryah Rose for sending us the snap. Thanksgiving is just around the corner for those of us here in the US. Last year Covid kept so many families and friends apart

Dear Friends, This month we talked about awe. What could possibly be more awe inspiring than the birth of a child? So this week we are spotlighting a photo taken by Mandy Seligman of her newborn grandson being held by his dad. The baby is so new that dad still has his hospital id band

Dear Friends, This week we are spotlighting two photos because they look so good together although we love each photo separately: In continuing with our outdoor theme of the month, we thought this article might interest our readers: Why Outdoor Workouts May Be Better for You by Lisa MonroeBlue Zones It explains the myriad ways

Dear Friends, This month we talked about the benefits of being in green spaces and asked for photos of the great outdoors. We advocated taking awe walks. However, looking at the photo submissions to SeeingHappy you will notice that many photos include water – the sea, the beach, etc, and at least one of us

Dear Friends, This week we are spotlighting a photograph by Greg Wojciechowska. Take a look here: We love the simplicity of the photograph with the subtle color differences and orientations of the two boats. This week an interesting question arose at the Seligman breakfast table: Can we choose happiness? After much back and forth we

Dear Friends, It is October already and SeeingHappy is now five months old. We want to thank each and every one of you for supporting us, for subscribing to our site, and for submitting your photos. Your response has been truly awesome. Talking of awesome – whether you live in the northern hemisphere and fall

Dear Friends, Our spotlight last week encouraged us to “retain our childlike wonder at the world and to be ourselves.” This week we are continuing the theme with a photo from Ana Pimentel. We love the joy in this photo and the idea that each of us is enough just being ourselves. We all have

Dear Friends, Thank you to all who have registered on our site in the last few weeks and especially to those who have submitted photos. We have received some wonderful new images – inspiring, funny, and heart melting. All make us happy. So thank you. This week we wanted to draw your attention to the

Dear Friends, This weekend we mark the 20th anniversary of 9/11 and it seems appropriate to spotlight our gratitude to our first responders for their courage in putting their lives at risk to protect the rest of us. It also seems like a good moment to appreciate the small stuff that contributes to our everyday

Dear Friends, This week we are spotlighting Roger Irwin, our Media Manager, and his photo of Ishka. Roger’s spotlight illustrates the importance of taking notice of the everyday small things that make us happy. It just goes to show that appreciating what we have right in front of us can really turn our mood around

Dear Friends, This week we are spotlighting the best Humor photo! It was taken by Donna Irwin who just happens to be Roger’s mom. Take a look: We also wanted to let you know about an upcoming event you might want to tune into: Mandy Seligman will be a guest of the folks at the

Dear Friends, This week we are honored to be showcase photo by Algirdas Markevicius, an amateur photographer from Lithuania. He says he doesn’t have much gear but makes the most of it – we think he does a beautiful job. We are also inviting you to take a look at a new project we have

Dear Friends, This week we are spotlighting the photograph Nimpha in Arsus by Anibar Gilmore Peak. Anibar tells of discovering photography along with her grandson, Michael, as he was undergoing chemo. She describes the happiness she experienced getting to know him on a different level through taking photos together and through coming to see the

Dear Friends, This week we are spotlighting a photo taken by Liam Cohen, a very special young man. After being diagnosed with cancer at age nine, his mom and a friend decided to teach him photography to take his mind off of his treatment. Liam loved this project and derived much joy and fulfillment from

Dear Friends, It is hard to believe tomorrow will be August already! Summer vacations and the beach for some lucky people. Let’s look for photos that make us laugh. Humor is the best medicine 🙂 This week we are spotlighting a beautiful rainbow photo taken by Amanda Seligman; may the hope she describes resonate with

Dear Friends, Thank you again to all who have registered on our site in the last week and again especially to those who have submitted photos. This week we have the pleasure of looking at George Munday’s photograph from his Waterford collection. George generously donated this photograph to inspire us all and so it does!

Dear Friends, Thank you again to all who have registered on our site in the last week and especially to those who have submitted photos. We really enjoy looking through all the submissions and it really makes us smile to look at the photos every morning 🙂 Instagram is up and running 🙂 Thank you

Dear Friends, Thank you again to all who have registered on our site in the last week and especially to those who have submitted photos:) Let’s talk about Hope. “Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul – “ Emily Dickinson. Hope is the defining characteristic of the optimist – they believe

Dear Friends, Thank you again to all who have registered on our site in the last week and especially to those who have submitted photos. We have received some wonderful images and all make us happy. So thank you. We wish you a Happy 4th of July! In the spirit of the 4th of July,

Dear Friends, Thank you again to all who have registered on our site in the last week and especially to those who have submitted photos 🙂 We love what we find beautiful and we find beautiful what we love. Beauty makes us happy – unfathomably. Life is just better when we surround ourselves with things

Dear Friends, Thank you to all who have registered on our site in the last few weeks and especially to those who have submitted photos. We have again received some wonderful images. We also have been continuing to update our site: we now have one photo – Lone Wolf – in the spotlight and we

Photographer and Psychologist Mandy Seligman has launched SeeingHappy.org – an online platform for sharing photography to promote individual well-being through art. Born amidst the gloom of a Covid-ravaged world, the illuminating idea is based on evidence that not only does turning to the positive increase hope and optimism and decrease anxiety and depression, but that

Dear Friends, Thank you again to all who have registered on our site in the last week and especially to those who have submitted photos. We have received some wonderful images and all make us happy. So thank you. We have added resources about the impact photography can have on your psychology. Read them here.

The story of SeeingHappy is the story of two passions meeting in the chaos of Covid: Photography and Positive Psychology.  Photography was always my creative outlet and this became more and more important during Covid: it was the chance to escape the worry, escape the endless battle for supplies, and escape the mounting isolation that

Dear Friends, Thank you again to all who have registered on our site in the last week and especially to those who have submitted photos. We have received some wonderful images and all make us happy. So thank you. We also have been updating our site in response to your suggestions so we hope you

Photography has always been a skill that connects us: think Ansel Adams’ iconic black and white photographs capturing the beauty of the American landscape through sharp focus and full tonal range. Think Henri Cartier-Bresson’s ability to shoot the decisive moment. Think Steve McCurry’s intimate portraits, full color and riveting. Think Michael Kenna’s minimal landscapes achieved