Light
"Then light shall rise for you in the darkness. ~Isaiah 58:9b-14"
What will be my Lenten practice for this season? What do I take for granted? I have been in the dark all these years even though I have eyes that can see. I discovered that I took light for granted. Light is the source that gives meaning to what we see. Light and darkness are neither good nor bad. One helps to inform the other. The way I find the light is by looking at the shadows.
It is through the medium of photography that I learned about light. Did you know that the word photography literally means light writing? “Photo” comes from the word photon (a particle of light) and “-graphy” means writing. Light gives us color, texture, and shape in what we see. Those of us who can see with our eyes are continuously bombarded by images. How do we decide what information to take in? Can a photograph tell the whole story?
My interest in photography began while I was a child. Currently, I am a student of light and dedicated photographer since 2020. Light interests me as how it interacts with darkness. Light can tell a story by the way it shapes this world. Light, as in natural light, is free.
Since last year, I have decided to put my camera down more in order to pay attention to the light surrounding me. This Lenten season, I choose to marvel at God’s given gift of light and to continue this journey of intentional sharing with God about the things that I see. For me, even though the human eye is better than a camera, God’s eyes are magnanimous.
Is there anything you have taken for granted? What has light revealed? What is kept in the dark?
Tram Nguyen