Blinded by the Light

Mama, that’s where the fun is

Photo by author.

I opened the hotel room door and walked through the narrow hallway into the room. The curtains were closed except for a narrow gap that allowed a thin beam of light to shine into the room.

When I crossed the room I was suddenly blinded by the light. I had walked into the light beam.

This may sound corny, but as if on cue, the 1976 song Blinded by the Light by the Manfred Mann’s Earth Band immediately popped into my head. I set my camera on the tripod and made this photo while “Mama always told me not to look into the eyes of the sun, but mama, that’s where the fun is” swirled in my head.

The color slide film struggled with the dynamic range. The slow shutter speed meant that — even though I tried to stand perfectly still — the image shows some motion blur.

The image is no masterpiece. It is rather pedestrian. What it does have is a reflection of my respect and connectivity to light.

I am a photographer. Light is my fuel, my motivation, my inspiration. I relate to the story that Ansel Adams tells about racing to photograph his masterpiece Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico as daylight quickly faded.

Ansel knew that he was in a race against time. He could read the light.