random thoughts: drawing with light

It suddenly dawned on me this weekend that the etymology of the word photography is "drawing with light."  

(I know. I'm slow.)

Anyway, as you know, I'm fond of saying "look for the light" when shooting, because the primary thing you want to do when you're photographing anything or anybody is to make the light a subject of your shot.  If your light's right, everything else more easily falls into place.  Sort of like this article says:

'One of the few things that separates a really good photographer from a run-of-the-mill, average one, is how he or she uses light,' says Brinkerkoff.  'I teach my students that there are five essential characteristics of light that convey emotion:  type, contrast, color, direction, and intensity of the light ... light is a transformative property; a tool for the photographer.  It can draw attention and completely change the emotional ties with which we view the same content.'

Also?   Light is everything, friends.  It is energy.  It is colour.  There's even evidence that we might emit light. (At the very least, we're made of stars.)

This is why I'm so fascinated with "drawing with light."  And it's certainly why I'm fond of telling everyone to look for it.

Song:  We are all made of stars by Moby