As a photographer and director, light is everything to me.
Early in my career, my job was shooting products”high-end home electronics, rare motorcycles, luxurious accessories, etc. One of my favorite parts of it was manipulating light and shadows so that my items would jump off the page.
Nowadays, I also get to focus on photographing people, and I love applying the same technical principles to my subjects. My goal with them, though, is to capture authentic emotion”I want my portraits to feel like a memory; like a stylized perspective of a real moment in time. The light outside allows me to help my models’ inner light shine through.
And it’s not just portraits that benefit from beautiful, golden light. It’s simple, everyday moments”an evening dog walk, a sunrise jog, even a water balloon fight at a backyard barbecue. Perfect light can transform the most rote, everyday things into something special.
I’m especially aware of this when I’m taking a drive at dusk, when the golden light starts to fade to dark. That time of night is called the gloaming, and it’s when I’m most reflective and grateful for the light; when I most appreciate its transformative nature and raw power.
Light is an abundant gift that literally transforms the way I see. I hope I never forget that.