October 22, 2010

"Light is metaphor. Light is knowledge, light is life, light is light.”


Enjoy | Delight in Life

“Ever since we crawled out of that primordial slime, that’s been our unifying cry, 'More light.' Sunlight. Torchlight. Candlelight. Neon, incandescent lights that banish the darkness from our caves to illuminate our roads, the insides of our refrigerators. Big floods for the night games at Soldier’s field. Little tiny flashlights for those books we read under the covers when we’re supposed to be asleep. Light is more than watts and footcandles. Light is metaphor. Light is knowledge, light is life, light is light.”  

Earth, Water and Flora
I was down by the Deerfield River in Shelburne Falls, Mass.  The sun had yet to rise, so I experimented with technique to make the most of the flat light.

Dans le Style des Impressionnistes
Eventually golden sunlight struck a nearby ridgetop.  I stood on a midriver rock to capture the moment when the glow crawled down to meet the water's edge.

Contact
Minutes later, I noticed my shadow on the next rock over.  "Where is that light coming from," I wondered.  "It is reflecting off something?"  You know, the way sunlight can glint off a passing car and travel through a coffee shop's windows to briefly illuminate the darkened interior?

My Shadow
I turned around:

Primordial
The fresh Autumn air, the burble of the river, the warming sun, the vivid color:  all brought me into an exhilarating moment. 

Light is Life
The river and I emitted misty exhalations.

Tech Tips: Nikon D700, Nikkor 24-70 mm, ISO range 200-640.  Earth, Water and Flora is an in-camera multiple exposure treated with Topaz Adjust, a plug-in filter for Photoshop CS5.   ©2010 John Nordell

2 comments :

greenx said...

Muy buen post , amigo!
estoy haciendo un trabajo de la luz como metáfora de la vida y me gustaría saber cuál es tu idea sobre el tema . qué opinas sobre el tema, me ayudarías mucho . muchas gracias y éxitos!

John Nordell said...

Gracias, amigo. "How is light a metaphor for light?" Both light and life are invisible, and we cannot be alive without either element.