Illuminating photos

This afternoon I was driving westward toward a sun that could only just be blocked by my vehicle’s visor. I topped a hill and found myself doing a doubletake because the two-mile line of sight ahead of me appeared to be decorated with a lacy lit garland which scalloped up and down more neatly and consistently than I’ve ever been able to hang a string of lights. It was so long, and so neat and so bright, it was hard to take my eyes off it and look at the road.

 

Of course it took only seconds to realize the “garland” was the overhead electrical line drooping slightly as it hung between poles, but knowing what it was did not detract from the wonder of it. In fact, if anything, it expanded it. My description cannot do the scene justice: a trick of the light honestly made the power line look like a lacy, decorative garland.

Most of the time, if asked at the end of a drive whether there were power lines along the road or not, my answer would be a guess rather than a statement.

 

The decorated drive set me thinking about the topic of “illumination.”

 

I have dozens of photos of sunsets. The colors, the backlit silhouettes, the sharp relief or subtle blending of objects under the reds, oranges and pinks of the sinking sun are always so intriguing. As fleeting as each moment of sunset or sunrise might be, a person feels a temptation to try and preserve it. I have to say, if I dug through all my files and made a slide show of those photos, I don’t think anyone would find it dull.

 

The sun, of course, does not have to be at the horizon to be illuminating. When taking pictures outdoors, the angle and direction of the sunlight nearly always need to be taken into account. For example, a bright, sunny day typically complicates photography because of stark shadows on people’s faces–often from their own headwear, hairstyle, or facial features.

 

But it can be used to real advantage sometimes, too. I have taken numerous photos of the sun beaming through the branches of a tree or reflecting off water. Bright sunshine emphasizes autumn colors so beautifully that it’s barely worth taking pictures of them on a cloudy day.

 

The word “illumination” has another related meaning which I greatly enjoy. Much like the word “enlightenment,” it refers to the process of coming to understand something. When I say the word, I want to say it with happy excitement while also moving my hands in an arch in front of me. A moment of illumination is one to be marked and celebrated.

 

It is when we let go of a preconception and allow the current situation to shine through–for example when we start truly listening to someone with an unusual speech habit and realize we understand what’s being said. It’s realizing the computer mouse isn’t working because we haven’t plugged in the dongle. It’s recognizing that I may not be in the place I intended to go, but I have ended up where I belong.

 

It’s happened to all of us, of course, and is usually identified by an extended exclamation of the word “Oooooh” followed by something like “That’s what you mean!” or “I get it now!”

 

It was the moment when I looked at the lacy garland along the highway and realized it was sunlight reflecting off the power lines.