"Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun"

After my freshman year of college my friend Colleen and I took a road trip through Michigan to Illinois. While on Navy Pier in Chicago, Illinois I captured this image. A million pictures are taken at Navy Pier, just as a million pictures are taken of Big Ben. We take pictures to show others where we have been. We also take pictures to remind us of who we were and what shaped us into -- us.

I look at the shadows created by the family in the photograph. They have no idea what they have left behind. If they were to glance up and really think about it, they might acknowledge the sun, the intensity of it and the angle that it is at. Or, perhaps it is only the lighting designer in me that imagines this scenario. Even if they were to notice the sun, it is hard for them to accurately judge what the effect (the shadow) is of the things they can see (their selves and the sun). In the same way we have difficulty conceptualizing the full effect of our actions. Let us hope that the best of what we imagine is the reality for everyone else involved.

(Photo 1: Chicago, IL)

At the end of that same summer I was invited to Niagara Falls with a few of my friends from when I was younger. The trip was planned to end on the same day as I was to return to school. I decided to go with them anyways. After a summer full of internships and low-paying jobs, I needed a reminder of what spending time with friends can do for your spirits. We walked away from the Falls with the sun shining brightly: reminding us of the intensity with which we influence each other and the love that impacts us so greatly.

(Photo 2: Niagara Falls, Canada)