The depth of the image and bright greens are accentuated by the yellows , but what really makes it work is the serenity of the blues . What was once relatively unnoticeable is now an essential part of the overall image , giving it a fairy-tale appearance . Hence , naming was relatively easy ( no thesaurus — we still had some wine ). But sometimes 500,000 + words aren ’ t enough .
We ’ d gone to Kenya in September of 2007 . I recall rolling up in a jeep to photograph a group of female lions with their cubs . Me with my first digital camera ( six megapixels ) taking artsy shots from all kinds of angles — surrounded by professional photographers with twelve-inch zoom lenses and way bigger cameras looking on , somewhat bemused .
I came back with hundreds of photos and no idea what to do with them . They sat for years on my computer , carefully catalogued and copied to DVD discs ; the latter stored in my bookcase .
Then something you anticipate , but never want , happened — my father passed . My wife bought me a primitive photo editing program to serve as a diversion . And now , multiple cameras , photographs , and trips later , I am writing about him —
Which brings me back to the word shortage .
While hiking to a location on the West Coast to spread my father ’ s ashes , I rounded a corner on the path . Confronting me was intense sunlight piercing though the forest canopy and a rich range of colours and shadows . Angelrays . It ’ s not in the dictionary .
This is my favourite image . Not because it ’ s the best or the most interesting . But because it captured a memory of my father lighting my way .
Angelrays /' an-j l- ' raz /
Enchanted / in ' CHantid / news & views SUMMER 2021 | 31