Photography involves playing with light. I deliberately used “playing” even if some camera bods get offended- some can be a tad intense, even stuffy about the serious nature of the art. I do take pictures seriously, but light-heartedly. I enjoy trying different angles and lighting styles. My daffodil has been taken with a 300mm telephoto lens, with sunlight angling across from the side. It gives “light relief.”
Shadows give shape and form to the picture: and if you look closely at the petals, the light brings out the tiny ridges and textures. There are even tiny white “sparkles” where light reflects off irregularities on the surface. And you thought they were mistakes! Go look at your own daffs, and you will see the same effect.
Strong red/orange colour delineates the short trumpet; and the central pollination organs add a yellow-against-black structure to the overall structure.
Essentially, it’s an elegantly simple flower which gets more complex as you study it and “play” with the light.
Change the lighting angle and you’d get a very different composition. (Try it and see!) Using another lens would also change the end result. Wide-angle lens up close would distort the perspective: a true macro lens would give a 1:1 reproduction with even more detail. Fun, isn’t it. The camera doesn’t “tell lies” but it can certainly interpret whatever is front of the lens.
Then a bit of post-production in the software; the human eye and a camera’s eye don’t see things quite in the same way. Those precious and wonderful eyes can see a much wider range of light/shade. The art is getting the end result to look as “accurate” as possible… or even to tweak the image to gain a more “effective” picture (that can be a very subjective opinion). If the post-processing is overdone, it can make the photo too lurid- or too washed out.
Enough of the photography tutorial. Let’s take the principles, and apply them to our study of scripture. Jesus is the “lens” through which we read the Bible; and He gives the Light.
John 8:12- Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
When we look at the ways Jesus illuminated the Jewish scriptures, and taught them in a new and authoritative way, it made a huge impact on His listeners. Some loved it- others felt threatened, or chose to “play politics.” That wouldn’t ever happen today- would it? The way the Bible is being being misused by “christian” nationalists both in the UK and USA should make us wary. True light brings out ALL truth, not just the out-of-context “proof texts” that are being thrown about by some who should know better! Remember the “Jesus lens” – how would Jesus respond to what is said? Is attention being paid to ALL the teaching of Jesus? Or only the bits that “agree with me.”
Jesus in the New Testament brings “light relief” by showing the details and intent of the verses. His teaching was hugely challenging, deeply radical, and counter-cultural… go and read the “Sermon on the Mount” and take it seriously… reflect on the parables of Jesus… ask the awkward questions like “If I say I’m following Christ, how do I need to change to become LIKE Jesus and DO what He did?”
That’s not a question to ask lightly. It will change your life- and the lives of those around you. And it will carry a cost. Don’t forget, Jesus had to go the Way of the Cross before the Resurrection could happen.
Essentially, it’s an elegantly simple message which gets more complex as you study it and “play” with the light.
The Reflectionary 