Photography and life have so much in common. I mean, our eyes and mind are the cameras of our being. It's just that some have better memory capacity than others. Every day we are faced with events that can be seen in various ways. We get up, get dressed, go through our grooming process of hair and teeth, consume our morning fuel, etc. It's during that time you can decide if you are looking at the day in light or dark. You can set the tone for your entire day by deciding, first thing, if you are going to make the most of whatever comes your way or if you're going to let it consume you in shadows.

In photography, lighting is one of the most important factors to consider. If you have too much of it, everything will be blown out and nearly impossible to see. If there's too much darkness, again, you won't be able to see. If you have harsh light it makes things undesirable just the same as if you have shadows in all the wrong places. Place your subject somewhere with lots of broken light such as under a sparse tree limb and they will be splotched, creating a result that is usually unwanted. You have to have just the right light.

In life, if you live with an overly bright outlook on life, it's possible that you are ignoring things that need to be addressed, or . . . you're using illicit substances to hide all those things away. If you surround yourself with darkness, you will most likely suffer from unwanted experiences that could be associated with illegal activity, dangerous activity, anxiety, depression, etc. You have to surround yourself with light to keep the darkness at bay, but not unnecessarily bright light to hide and disguise the truth of the matter. You have to have just the right light.

Settings are key. You have to know what settings to adjust to keep a balanced light in your photography and your life. If you turn up the light make you shine, you may be simply hiding the reality of the darkness you maintain in your life. If you keep your focus so narrow that it only points to you, the reality of the world you have around you may be standing right there but you've arranged it so others can't see it clearly. You have to manage the situation so you can see the whole picture.