How do light and shadows guide your journey?
Dear Friends,
I’m taking a fantastic online course, PHOTO BY DESIGN, offered by Kim Manley Ort. When photographing we’re encouraged to pause and, “pay attention to the light”. In fact if you parse the word photography down to its original Greek it means, “writing with light” (light writing). Light helps us communicate a mood, call for our attention, move us through an image. Light helps us “feel” an image and not just “look” at an image.
But the flip side of light are the shadows! I was struck by just how important the role shadows can play in an image. Shadows present contrast, mood, drama, form, texture, and move our eyes, hearts, minds and spirits through an image. Shadows, combined with the light, invites us to “feel” an image.
What about the shadows of our own lives? All of us have experienced dramatic shadows. Have our “life” shadows moved us in a direction toward the light or do they continue to haunt us on our journeys?
This week take your camera or IPhone and take (make, create) some images of light and shadows like the one I created above. Can you feel your image? What contemplative thoughts come to mind as you reflect on your image and your life journey?
Namaste!
John