Slow Down, Look for the Light | Photography and Life

In May I shot the live video feed with Mission Visual for ESCALATE LIVE 2010. It was so great to be part of the staff for this event.

The most touching speaker to me was world renowned wedding photographer Jerry Ghionis. He's an amazing photographer and a really amazing man. My biggest take away from Jerry's talk was to SLOW DOWN and LOOK FOR THE LIGHT. He said that photographers too often look for location first and then try to make the light work. But he stressed the importance of first, slowing down to THINK, then to look for the LIGHT. What a concept!

And I've really enjoyed applying these simple steps within my photography work. Slow down. Think. Look for the light. And BOOM. Beautiful images result.

HOWEVER. A little deeper reflection and I've taken these steps into my personal life as well. Slow down. Think. Look for the Light.

I believe in One God. I believe in One Good. I believe in One Light, and whosoever believes in that Light, will never walk alone in darkness again.

But even those of us who believe and focus on the Light, lose sight of it from time to time. Two weeks ago was such a time for me. I was in the dark. I was lost. And I didn't slow down, stop, THINK for one second to LOOK FOR THE LIGHT.

Finally, FINALLY, after a full week of walking in darkness, I slowed down to think and I prayed. I prayed for God to put His Light back inside of me, I prayed for strength to focus on the Light again. And every day since has been more beautiful and more bright.

So Jerry Ghionis and the lessons I learned at Escalate Live have stuck with me. They are not only teaching me to be a better photographer, but even more so, to be a better me.

self portrait taken the last day of that awful week...the day before I finally focused on the Light again...