This morning was the last morning anyone should have been heading to the lake for pictures.
It was insanely dark with a thick blanket of clouds smothering anything that might have brightened a horizon.
But I was tired of reading the news by 5:30 and in need of a win, so I figured I would grab a few bits and pieces and the new A7 of course and see what mischief I could get up to.
A hazy light from the power plant on the opposite shore was the only real definition that I could see when I got there and I stumbled a little as I walked out the pier, carrying too many things for a one-armed-man. “A lazy man’s load” as my Dad would call it, but I didn’t relish multiple trips to the car, so I put up with the discomfort.
I had brought some bottles of water, a glass globe, and the light bars Morgan made me for light painting. I also brought a little tripod that would support the camera yet keep it almost at ground level.
And so, I set about hurriedly setting up my experiment, eager to transform a loose thought into a real image or two. The water was poured initially to create a puddle in front of the globe that I rested on the ground at the very edge of the pier. I was hoping for reflections of the globe and any background lights (of which there were none).
The light bars’ purpose was to give me a light on the crystal globe to help pull it out from the dim background. And in turn to create a decent reflection in the puddle.
It worked, but the real moments of success came when I threw the light bars themselves into the picture and even more so, when I poured water on the globe while taking the shots on timer.
Aaah the fun of it all!
Dull brightness in the skies and splashes on the camera lens brought the experiment to an end, but not before I got a whole bunch of good shots.
I have put a half-dozen at the end of this blog and my own favorite is probably number four. Hope you enjoy!
As I drove home it was still quite dark and yet I had the inner glow of a successful outing to light my way.
I knew that in the face of nothing, I had created something and so there was a very real sense of achievement.
And it got me thinking how life often seems very dark and scarcely worth living. And how we ache to see a glimmer of light at the end of a tunnel.
Yet, in the absence of light, sometimes you have to make your own.
When we find ourselves lost in darkness, we have to insert a battery, flick a switch, or even light a candle. Because not all sources of light have to come from an external source.
Yes, we can wait for something to brighten our lives and in many cases, events come along that indeed do.
But finding your own light is a revealing instrument that can guide you forward along life’s path.
When the light comes from within, it is effectively channeling a source of your own strength and using it to help you move forward on your journey.
I am not saying it easy and we may have to look in several rooms in our soul in order to find one. But given that the only other options are to hope that someone else shines a light on us, or live out the rest of our days in darkness, then frankly it is worth it.
The light I am talking about may be a new idea, or a better approach to something, or a willingness to go along a path you haven’t been before. In fact, this light can be anything. As long as it is a means to help you see your path in the darkness, then that is all that matters.
Emotional darkness is a haven for demons. They love to hang out in the darkest places and they undermine our journey at every opportunity. We all fight these demons every now and then. 78888888888hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhb .. dammit Coco get off the keyboard!
Anyway, where was I ? Oh yes …. demons. They love it when we are lost in darkness. They thrive on our inability to see a way forward and they relish our getting lost.
But all it takes is one candle (or in this case a light-bar) and they go running to the shadows in fear.
My light-bars are always with me these days. They sit on the back seat of my car. Now, if I can just find a few to keep on the back seat of my soul, all will be fine and I will be able to find my way forward through the darkest of life’s tunnels.
… just a thought!
