As a photographer, Dad preferred to shoot using natural
light.
This required setting the aperture wide open, slowing the
shutter speed way down, and keeping a steady hand. It’s kind of how he lived
his life: Eyes wide open and observing. Taking it all in at a leisurely pace.
Using natural light was not the easiest way to take a
picture, but the result was always more beautiful, more real, more life-like
than an image made using a flash. Dad
understood that his job was that of a craftsman. He instinctively knew that
capturing moments of real lives was important, not because of any high-brow
ideas about art, but because EACH - MOMENT
-of - our –LIVES- Matter.
I can’t count the number of times that someone has told me
that my father took the best picture that had ever been made of them. Some
days, people would call our house just to tell Dad how much they enjoyed one of
his photographs in the paper that day.
Dad would downplay his talent. He would say that he was just
in the right place at the right time. Or he might joke that he just took so many pictures that some were bound to come out right. Just
like his photos, there was nothing artificial about Dad.
Technically speaking, Dad captured the light from the sun that
reflects off all things and people to record an image. But there is ANOTHER
kind of natural light that resides in all of us. My father possessed that light
in abundance. It was so bright that you could even hear it in his voice over
the telephone. In person, it was an even
brighter and an engaging light. A light that put you immediately at ease. His bright
spirit could lift your mood, as fast as clicking a camera.
In the book of Matthew, Jesus says, “YOU are the light
of the world. Do not light your candle and hide it, but place it on a stand where all can see it. Let your light shine so that others may
see your good works.” This!.... yes, this is how my father lived his life. He enthusiastically shone
a natural and bright light upon everyone in his orbit….. day in….day out.
And he had a knack for bringing out that kind of natural
light in others. I believe this is why Dad was able to capture so many great
images of people. And people
were definitely his favorite
subject. He could shoot a great landscape or compose a picture with the best of
them. But what made him special as a photographer and as a human was his ability to put people at ease.
The real light and energy that makes a great picture comes from
the people in the photo. When we are self-conscious, we stifle our own natural
light. We tense up and hold that energy in. Dad put his subjects at ease by
using his affable demeanor and making them forget the camera was there for just
a moment. All the while encouraging and saying… just one more… oooonnnne more.
It was always just oooonnnne more. But you can bet he knew the exact “snap of
the button” that caught you at your best. That’s when he’d say, “alright,
alright..I’m done”
Dad made each person’s
day a little brighter. He showed us how to always be the best version of
ourselves.
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