I recently, learned that the word Photography literally means 'drawing with light', which derives from the Greek photo, meaning light and graph, meaning to draw. I love that simple descriptor. The photo above is a good example of this for me. The golden light of the sun is lighting these few clouds and the rest of the clouds in this photo are dark. It is a fleeting moment in time but that is often the case with photography. I have learned over the years to trust my instincts and if I see some beautiful lighting going on, I jump into action and start looking for the best position to photograph the scene. I have cultivated this habit most of my life with my photography and it has served me well.
This next photo was another good example of being ready when the lighting was special and the timing of the lighting was fleeting. I was leaving a Seahawks game at Lumen field, when I noticed some interesting clouds moving very quickly in a gap in the stands. I pulled out my cell phone (which is a really good camera these days) and adjusted the lighting to expose the sky properly which made the rest of the image in the shade go black. Now this is a photo I would never had captured if I did not have the cell phone camera in my pocket. We do live in an amazing time to "draw with light"!
Another element of painting with light is capturing the evening or morning skies when there are some dramatic or interesting clouds. Every so often the sunlight and clouds will create some special lighting conditions. So it is all about being present to these moments that matters.
The image below is from our recent trip to Mexico, it was getting close to sunset and I could see the clouds and sunlight lighting up sky and suggested we all get up and head to the beach. If we stayed in our condo, then we would not have been there to receive this special fleeting moment of beauty.
You also don't need to travel to Mexico to capture these fleeting moments. Just wake up early enough to see the sunrise. I love heading out onto our deck and just sitting and watching the sunrises. Here is an especially beautiful one this past year.
There are so many opportunities for "painting with light" moments, like when the fog or low cloud cover create special lighting moments. Again it is about be in the right spot and the right time. The following lighting condition happened in the trees behind our home. We were just coming home from church and I noticed the how the sunlight was bursting through the trees behind our home. I actually got our our ladder and climbed up onto the roof to capture this image!
Another time was a very cloudy day this summer on Mt Rainier, where the mountain was playing peek-a-boo. We were wondering if we would ever get a chance to see the mountain that day. I just love the way the mountain revealed herself is this subtle way. Even a little enticing, saying just look at me!
This past week I was on a hike to Fragrance Lake and as I approached the lake shore the fog that was shrouding the lake was just starting to lift. The lake was very still and it was one of those "awe moments" for me. I stood in silence and watching and "receiving in" the silent, still moment. I treasure moments like these.
I am taking an online course that is teaching how to use photography as a way of seeing "with the eyes of the heart". Photography is indeed "painting with light" yet also is about receiving or beholding "what is". These brief moments where something transfigures the world around us as it reveals beauty's radiance.
"We don't have to go out and try to take "beautiful" photos. We simply need to pay attention and foster a different kind of seeing". Christine Valters-Paintner
In this course, there is an emphasis on "receiving" not "taking" photographs. The traditional words for photography are possessive and aggressive. Yet if we change our language and think of photography as receiving it is a "different kind of seeing" of the world. When we are receptive we let go of are agendas and expectations. We cultivate a contentment with what actually is and being fully awake and alive to it!
I will conclude today's post with a quote from Christine Valters-Painters book, Photography as a Christian Contemplative Practice.
"There are many moments waiting for us each day, prodding our consciousness, inviting us to abandon our carefully constructed plans and defenses and open our hearts to what is before us. The task of the artist is to cultivate the ability to see these eternal moments again and again. In this way, we are all invited to become artists."
Beauty and grace abound,
John
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