“Even in the darkness and the tangles of life, light seems to find its way to us.” – Ed Lehming 

This image was made in January, during a family vacation to Mexico. I was experimenting with my deliberate camera movement (DCM) technique using the jungle foliage as my subject. It’s a bit different than the forests in my area as the jungle is quite tight compared to the wider spaces of hardwood forests There are also less vertical elements and the light is so much different.

I got a lot of shots that just looked ‘blurry’ rather than painterly and most were significantly over or underexposed. After a few tries I had landed on the right settings and made a series of images that where interesting but nothing really ‘stuck’. However, this one particular image happened to catch the reflected light of the setting sun as a bright flash in the shadows.

The light was not something I particularly noticed as I made the image, which is often the case in these abstract shots. However, these elements seem to always be there and I must subconsciously detect them as I compose the image.

As I was looking for material to post, this particular image stood out, given the mood of the world today. People seem to be struggling with all the unknowns and navigate their way through these days of uncertainty. The little flash of light reminds me that all is not completely dark, if you deliberately look for the good things and focus on them. Suddenly, the tangle and darkness of our world offers some hope, and I’m personally encouraged by that.

Nikon D800
Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 G I AF-S VR Zoom @ 135mm
1/4 sec, f/10.0 ISO 400

For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com