Project 52 + Light (Week 8)

Briana Santiago is an Associate Photographer for Christopher Maddox Photography. Check back weekly to keep up with Briana's weekly 'Project 52' posts.

Early this morning I was thinking about todays post, wondering how I was going to translate light through my lens. As part of my normal getting up routine, I walked by my daughter’s room and glanced in to check on her. I then realized that the only way I can look in on her from the door is from the light coming through her closet.

We turn that closet light on and then crack the door just a bit to act as her ‘night light’. In the middle of the night when she wakes up and opens those little eyes, it gives her light to see. For her it’s seeing and knowing that she is still in her room, in her bed, with her stuffed animals. She then can close those little eyes and go back to sleep. For her that bit of light is security.

So I snuck into her room as quietly as I could to try and capture that security on camera. You should have seen how ridiculous I looked crawling into her room trying not to wake my sleeping angel.

So what is light?

Light is good. Think of movies. The good guy is always depicted as light and bright.

Light is the exact opposite of darkness. One literally cannot exist without the other. Which means light can never be completely consumed. It will infinitely exist.

Light is the element that makes things visible. We wouldn’t even have sight without light.

Light is warmth. Whether it’s the sun, fire or light bulbs, when there is light, there is warmth.

Light is security. The first thing I do when I enter a dark room is turn on the lights to see where I am and where I am going. People add lights to a home or workplace to make it feel ‘safer’.

Light is igniting. Fireworks, bond fires, candles.

Light brings this world to life. You can’t have photosynthesis without light. Therefore we wouldn’t have plants and life on this planet, as we know it.

And with this Christmas weekend upon us I am looking forward to celebrating that the Light of the World was born in a manager so many years ago. Celebrating the moment that light became HOPE for a world that had none.

I hope that you are able to share warmth, security and life with your family and friends this weekend. And because of it, that you feel a little lighter inside!

Have a very Merry Christmas!

Always,
Briana

Project 52 + Texture (Week 7)

Briana Santiago is an Associate Photographer for Christopher Maddox Photography. Check back weekly to keep up with Briana's weekly 'Project 52' posts. 

Tis the season, my most favorite of all the seasons! Christmas is upon us! My house has been decorated since Thanksgiving. Our tradition is we pull all the decoration boxes out and then we decorate while we watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade.


Only to be watched on channel 12 of course! My husband learned that lesson this year. Channel 5, 10 or 15? No. ONLY channel 12 at 9:00am. I don’t care who else says they are covering the parade. No one else does it quite like channel 12.


It’s been a hard time leading up to this season though. There have been a series of not so fun events that have made this a little more difficult than most. Some I can share, like a car accident that I had on the 15th with my daughter. Thank the Lord that she was perfectly fine. I on the other hand had a lovely ER visit and a nice scar forever with me on my chest. I make a horrible patient so needless to say; the ‘slow road to recovery’ does not sit with me well! But I will be just fine.. This also explains my lack of Wednesday posts! 


Others of course I cant share on here… And even further are things I am constantly in prayer about for other friends and the ‘stuff’ they have going on. 


Texture is this weeks subject. This is a picture of an embroidered tablecloth that my grandparents brought back for me from one of their cruises. Its hand embroidered with all sorts of different thread. It’s beautiful. And I love looking at it. It’s amazing how a few different threads can create such texture on a piece of cloth when being sewn by the hands of an artist.

It’s funny though because when you look on the back of the tablecloth, it’s not so pretty. It looks like one giant ball of thread mess. The colors mix and mesh almost making the color of brown because of the amount of times that they cross over one another.


I started to think about the not so nice things going on in my life. Right now it looks messy and gross when examining all the ‘stuff’ that’s going on. It’s hard on the heart, hard on the pocketbook and makes enjoying a wonderful season like Christmas a little rough. You start to question, “Why? Why now?”


But maybe, just maybe, all these little hard things are beautifully intertwining so that when I see the tablecloth from the other side it makes a wonderful picture. You know the saying, I am sure you do. ‘All things work together for the good.’ Maybe in retrospect this time in my life will have taught me a wonderful lesson. Or maybe its pushing things in my life out cause they were distractions so I can focus on the new year with a clear mind. 


Already I am starting to think that these things bad things are happening right now so the distraction of Christmas can make it a little easier to get through. THAT thought makes all the hard a little more easy. 


I am looking forward to seeing the picture – 'the good' – that this is all ultimately going to create! I’m looking forward to seeing my tablecloth from the other side.


Always, 
Briana