When I was in college in the mid 90’s, digital cameras were a novelty, maybe a bigwig newspaper had one. I had a SLR Canon A-1 35 mm Film Camera.
My dad bought it for me at a used camera shop in St. Louis, MO.
I felt like a
professional photographer.
I took a photography class
and became obsessed.
The dark room
became my haven.
Light became my love.
Shadows and tones my drama.
Without light,
there is no photo.
35 mm film only has 24 or 36 shots per roll, and there is no room for manipulation
nor apps to fix mistakes.
In college, I worked to improve each shot, followed Ansel Adams The Zone System to determine the grey scale in all that I saw.
Fast forward to 2022, and iPhones make everyone a professional—-Instagram allows us to broadcast life with #hashtags and viral reels…
Now about that light—
I love that moment in the day where the light is so perfect. I don’t have to do anything more than aim, click. There’s my shot, a moment in time to share life for all to see.
A marvel.
Timeless.
A necessary light
to overcome despair.
A sunset to offer hope.
A selfie to offer self love,
a photo of a child to offer joy. A portrait of our favorite pet. The image of our love, a parent to remember lessons learned—-
O, to live in a time when photographs offer a distraction from anything.
And light is everything.
Gina Marselle
1.28.2022
Saturday's Sirens 