In my journey with photography, I have become more aware of light. The presence of light, the absence of light, how it causes reflection, my friend, Paul Jeffrey, told us once that he always turns the flash off, taking advantage of natural light. (I’m sure the rule is “almost always.”) I find that in photographing nature, that I try to stick to that rule and rely on photo-editing software to help me out if I need it. He also taught us how to make a faux tripod to steady ourselves when our shutter speed is taking just a little bit too long.
Light is a dominant theme in religious traditions also.
- Christianity: “The light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it.” (John 1:5),
- Islam: “Knowledge makes you free from the chains of ignorance, and revives your heart, knowledge takes you out from the darkness of suspicions and superstitions, and gives a new light to your eyes. (Hazrat Abu Ali Saqfi)
- Judaism: “I will say to the prisoners, ‘Go free!’ and to those who are in darkness, ‘Come out to the light!’ (Isaiah 49:9)
- Buddhism: “Doubt everything. Find your own light.” (Gautama Buddha)
- Hinduism: “One who kindles the light of awareness within gets true light.” (Unattributed)
- Baha’i: “Grant that the light of unity may envelop the whole earth.” (Bahá’u’lláh)
The general thrust is that light is a metaphor for that which brings us to a higher consciousness or awareness, provides hope, guidance, and love. It is a beautiful thing when, through appropriate use of light, we can communicate a deeper exploration of these qualities—awareness of what is unseen, hope, love, beauty—a very real reflection of life. And sometimes, light lets you see something in a different way.
My favorite picture that I’ve ever taken of one of my children captures light and it seems, to me, to convey innocence and an essential quality of “child” that is so easy to forget. This is an old photo, by the way! And the picture isn’t perfect, but it still conveys a lightness of being that transcends the particular quality of the photo.
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How do the following pictures and their use of light point to something beyond the images captured in the photo?
by Terri Stewart
What do thoughts of light lead you to? Do you have a favorite photo that features light or the absence of light?
Shalom and Amen!
Post by Terri Stewart, 2014
Photography, CC License (CC BY-NC)
The BeZine 
I love how the reflection of sun on the water in your photo makes “a thousand points of light”…and we all recognize something inspiring in light, religious or political. 🙂
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It’s interesting to compare this to the earlier piece on shadow and even to the poem Dust to Dust, where the dust glitters and illuminates (hence, light). It is perhaps all of these together, light, shadow, and dust that reveal the human condition.
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Michael, your attentive reading of the wealth here is much appreciated. What a wonderful asset you are to this team. Many blessings, Jamie
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