Introducing The Canon IGNITE Program

Photographer, Director, Producer, Mental Health Advocate, Canon Canada Ambassador: Ajani Charles, Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Year: 2022, Photographer: Felice Trinidad

When Canon Canada invited me to help shape their new IGNITE program, I saw more than an opportunity to teach photography or filmmaking; I saw an opportunity to share a way of life and the importance of mindfulness.

As a Canon Canada ambassador, professional photographer, filmmaker, and mindfulness practitioner and instructor, I have long understood that powerful imagery and inner stillness are deeply intertwined. Canon IGNITE provided the perfect platform to demonstrate that to a new generation of creators.

Canon IGNITE is a virtual mentorship program designed to help aspiring creators build creative confidence, sharpen their visual storytelling skills, and move beyond everyday snapshots, whether they are shooting on a smartphone or ready to explore the world of dedicated cameras.

For my part, I created a streamlined workshop titled Capturing the Present: Mindful Photography for Beginners. The workshop was filmed at Othership, a chain of immersive wellness studios featuring ice baths and saunas, with locations in downtown Toronto and New York City, and was designed to be as calming and inspiring as it was educational. I wanted the space to mirror the message: that creativity flourishes when we are grounded and present.

Throughout the workshop, I speak candidly about how mindfulness through photography helped me transcend anxiety and depression, and how photography became a meditation long before I knew what meditation was. I lead viewers through a one-minute breathing exercise, offer reflections on flow states after defining flow states, and share how even one intentional photograph can deepen our awareness of the world and ourselves.

I also tell stories, like the time I chased Arnold Schwarzenegger as he rode his bike through my neighbourhood in downtown Toronto with my Canon EOS R5 in hand last summer. That moment was not about fandom. It was about metacognition: the ability to notice my thoughts, step out of fear and self-doubt, and act in alignment with my creative instincts and the respect I have for a public figure who has positively impacted my life since childhood. That portrait now symbolizes the rewards of presence and courage.

A Promotional Graphic For The Canon IGNITE Program

The workshop is supported by quiz questions, PDF materials, and interactive demos, including a hands-on mindfulness exercise involving light, texture, and emotion. I kept the technical components beginner-friendly while still challenging participants to move beyond the instant gratification of phone cameras. Holding a Canon mirrorless body, free from the pull of notifications, can be a radically grounding experience, and through the workshop, I explain why that matters.

My work does not stop at the workshop video. I will also contribute to the onboarding process, community engagement materials, and interactive elements that encourage students to keep learning long after they have finished my session.

I aim to demystify both photography and mindfulness, showing that both are accessible, transformative, and interrelated.

After the technical skills directly involved in photography and filmmaking, no other skill is more important to a photographer or filmmaker than the capacity to pay attention to the present moment and all it entails, without judgment.

The philosophy behind Capturing the Present is supported by science. I reference peer-reviewed studies showing that mindfulness improves focus, reduces stress, and enhances creativity through divergent thinking. But I also ground these insights in lived experience; my own, and that of the people I have taught, photographed, and collaborated with for nearly two decades.

To me, photography is not solely a job or an art form; it is a practice that can lead to self-knowledge and groundedness. When one shoots mindfully, one is not simply capturing images; insights, emotions, and clarity are also captured. The camera becomes an anchor, a portal, and a mirror all at once.

A Promotional Graphic For The Canon IGNITE Program

Canon IGNITE gave me the space to articulate this and pass it on.

To know that this workshop will live on the Canon Creator Lab platform, accessible to thousands of aspiring creators, is humbling and a reminder of why I do what I do.

I am not simply interested in churning out content; I am here to help fellow creators elevate their consciousness and their craft, through mindfulness, one frame at a time, and one moment at a time.

At its core, Canon IGNITE is about more than teaching people how to use a camera. It is about showing them how to see.

And if I have done my job well, then the thousands of people who engage with my workshop will not only walk away with better images, they will walk away with a clearer mind, a steadier breath, and a deeper connection to the present moment.

I am grateful to Canon Canada, the Canon Creator Lab, 7 Communications, and everyone else involved in this monumental program, and I encourage all creators to join us by registering for the program here.