The first assignment in Mrs. Flament's photography class in 1993 at Euclid High School, was to photograph light. This was my very first assignment in my very first photography class. Basically, it sounded like I could photograph anything, because ultimately light would be in the picture in some form or another. There would be no photography without light. I really didn't get it. I ended up turning in a picture of a halloween decoration that adorned the costume shop where I worked. I am certain I could find that assignment somewhere in a box in my garage right now.
I hadn't had the capacity to understand the beauty of light dancing on surfaces, sparkling in a reflection, or glowing through the cracks of a dark room. I couldn't see it. It took a few years for me to understand, even a few years after leaving art school to really get it.
I start each day not knowing what will end up on this page. Likely I will see something to spark interest, or hope to be at the right place at the right time to catch something interesting. I can't expect to be at the zoo to catch gorillas playing with Nintendos every day. Sometimes, it's just the way the light falls on the coffee table on a pile of folded paper and origami bits left by my daughter. It's not really about the origami, but the highlights and voids around it.
I don't remember what grade I got on that assignment in Mrs. Flament's class, but I am providing these as a resubmission for the assignment. I get it now, Mrs. Flament.
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