DRAWING WITH LIGHT

STEVE RYF—JOHNS CREEK, GEORGIA

While visiting Berlin last summer, I was in awe of the splendid architecture I encountered throughout the city, and excited by the many tantalizing photographic opportunities that awaited me.

I found one in the Reichstag building, which houses the German parliament. During my visit, I entered the glass dome on the top and walked up the circular ramp that encases a large multimirrored pillar in the center. The pillar becomes larger in diameter as it rises, and the reflected sunlight shines down on the parliament floor below. I started taking pictures as I made my way up the ramp, and had to stop frequently as the reflected multifaceted images in the pillar were compelling, and were constantly changing as the angle of the sunlight changed. The image shown on this page includes a variety of people, surfaces, and colors reflected in various intensities of light.

It's been said that light is the heart and soul of photography, a word derived from the Greek and literally meaning "drawing with light." I've always been drawn to Soul as a synonym for God. The radiance of Soul shines out in infinite variety, and is the source of harmony, color, and originality. I try to let that radiance guide me in my photography, helped by this compelling Bible citation: "Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee" (Isa. 60:1). |CSS