I have always been drawn to photography. My journey began when I moved from France to London, UK, and started taking pictures, inspired by a friend who used slides. What captivated me most was how the images, projected onto a wall, felt like having an art exhibition right in your living room. From that point, my passion grew, and I decided to pursue photography seriously by enrolling in a BA in Photography. Living in London was incredibly inspiring, with its diversity of people and places. I worked on small projects for school, and the excitement fueled my creative growth.
After completing my BA, I moved from London to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. I had visited Southeast Asia twice before, and the region held a special connection for me through my grandfather and great-grandfather. Living there felt like an adventure, offering rich opportunities for photography. I worked for a national newspaper but quickly realized that photojournalism wasn’t my calling. Soon after, I began experiencing severe insomnia, sometimes lasting for weeks, which drained my mental and physical energy and forced me to stop working.
Seeking a change, I moved to Saigon, Vietnam, following a friend who lived there. Initially, it was thrilling to explore a new city and culture—I took many portraits of people I connected with online, as well as street photography. Around this time, I discovered spiritual teachings online that profoundly resonated with me. I could spend hours a day on a park bench, listening to these videos, hoping to understand myself better and ease the insomnia. These teachings gradually became a part of my daily life and photographic practice.
Later, I moved to Chiang Mai, Thailand, a city surrounded by lush mountains and well-known as a spiritual place. When I was taking photos after a sleepless night, it helped me ground myself in the present moment and transmute the negativity accumulated during the night. My meditation practice evolved, and photography became a powerful vehicle on my path to self-healing and self-realization.
In Chiang Mai, I became intensely aware of the presence of nature, plants, and flowers on city streets. I was captivated by their aliveness and spent hours, days, and months photographing them. This intense immersion in picture-taking absorbed me entirely, and I connected more profoundly with myself and the world around me.
Eventually, this led to a Kundalini awakening, an experience both awe-inspiring and daunting, like the birth of something entirely new within me. As my perception of life shifted, my photographic practice deepened, fueled by an increasingly altered state of consciousness.
My Qualifications:
I’m Jonathan Pannetier. I hold a Bachelor of Arts in Photography from the University of East London, UK. Additionally, I’ve completed the Look Again Mindful Photography Facilitator Training, along with a diploma in mindfulness-based approaches from The Center of Excellence, and TEFL Cambridge. However, the essence of my approach stems from my own experiences and revelations.
These experiences inspired me to create Photo Metamorphosis, a platform to help others find healing and inspiration through Photography with Awareness. I’m fluent in both French and English, with many years of experience teaching online to students from around the world of different ages, backgrounds, and cultures. I offer my courses in both languages. Want to see my photography Works over the years? Check them out!
Ready to dive into Photography with Awareness? Have a look at my Course on Photo Metamorphosis.
