Lyn Thurman is a friend of mine, a fellow Pagan and coach, and a fabulous photographer. You really need to check out her pictures, they’re amazing. I asked her to write a guest post for me, she agreed and here it is.
I picked up my first camera when I was eleven. I’d saved birthday money and pocket money and probably annoyed my mother relentlessly until I was able to purchase it. This was way back in the day. Back when cameras had settings with dials and you only got a very limited amount of shots before you had to then carefully remove the film to have it developed. I don’t come from a very creative or artistic family, and any photos I had taken as a child were with point-and-shoots, often with bits of head missing and everything looking a bit wonky. But as I didn’t have anyone else to ask about my new passion of photography and being only eleven, an age when you still think your parents have most of the life’s answers, I went to my parents for advice on taking photos.
Sage wisdom followed.
They were happy to share their secrets of not-quite-stellar photography. First, I was told to remember to always wind on the film. Then I was guided to keep the camera steady as I took a photo. And the final piece of wisdom was to take photos with my back to the sun. Winding on the film and not wobbling when you take a shot was quite obvious, but I didn’t know about keeping the sun behind you as you took the photo. I took this to heart.
Sun behind, camera steady
In future photography adventures, I made sure I always stood with my back to the sun. I’d orchestrate my photos with this in mind, careful not to let the sun leak into the film. It was challenging trying to capture what I wanted whilst being in the correct position, and I’d often have to miss the shot because the sun and I wouldn’t be lining up. There have been very few times in my life when I haven’t had a camera in one form or another. As a teen, I would save up my pocket money for camera films and developing costs, especially at holiday time when I’d have the opportunity to see new parts of the world through my lens. I never forgot the rules passed down to me; sun behind and camera steady.
The unspeakable happened
Digital cameras made the need for careful shooting void; as long as you have big enough storage, you can take as many photos as you like. I became reckless in my photo taking and shot into the sun. I wanted to capture the beauty of the waves gently lapping on the beach. I clicked. Then looked. I had the sun right in front of me. Well, neither my camera nor I exploded. I’d broken the rules and rather than an abomination, I had something rather lovely to show for it.
Let the light hit you
I now take nearly all of my outside shots with the camera facing the sun. Breaking the rules lead me to diskover a depth of colour that you just can’t find when you have your back to the sun. Embracing the light full on and taking no notice of the ‘rules’ gives me something that’s a step up from ordinary. Serene sunsets and safe sea shots? Nope, I have lens flairs, glistening water, and a kaleidoscope of colours. Life should be an experiment to see what happens when you stretch or break the ‘rules’, especially if they’re self-imposed. You’ll find it difficult to see the amazing colours and you’ll miss opportunities if you always turn your back away from the sun. Face the light, go against the rules, and really see the beauty of life in all its glory.
Lyn Thurman is an author, a soul path success coach, rebel-rouser at the Inner Goddess Revolution, founder of the Soul Path Tribe and editor at the Soul Path Magazine. When she’s not on a spirit led adventure, she’s taking photos of the sky, making a mess with her kids, or strolling with her husband by the sea. She believes in magic and sparkles and the amazing possibilities of you. Find Lyn at www.lynthurman.com and hanging out on Facebook at www.facebook.com/lynthurmanpage
