Facets

A facet is one side of something many-sided. I think life has infinite sides, which I think is the beauty of our lives. What facet of life are you living right now?

A wonderful Bon Mot is quoted as,

"I think when you're young, you should be a lot with yourself and your sufferings. Then one day you get out where the sun shines and the rain rains and the snow snows and it all comes together."

So many people are caught in their own youth cells, influence from parents - negative and positive, and other growing up experiences. The time it takes to break free into yourself is dependant on each individual's willingness to work through the process to resolve it and let go. We all have to go through this facet of life in some way shape or form. Maybe you have some time to reflect on this, maybe you don't. I have been thinking about this and the Rāhui has allowed me time to ponder.

I have many shortfalls and I don't know about you but when I reflect on the dumb stuff I have done I cringe. On top of that breaking out of my own youth cell, there are some facets that will always remain with me as I have a strong magnetic memory. I have learnt to be ok with that. In fact, they become my strengths!

Another Bon Mot (you can tell I am into these right now) is quoted as,

"The great days are now! I never want to hear about the past again."

and in the words of wisdom from Kung fu Pandas master,

“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the “present.”

So it seems there are many facets to our lives we can ponder during this rāhui and I think the key is not to get lost too much in the past and live in the present. And let's take any dumb things we have done in life, and turn these into opportunities to learn and grow. I am concentrating on the positive facets of my day, and thinking about positive opportunities for the future.

Like life, photography has many sides to it and I have broken this into four facets that I hope help your photography. See below in the photography tips on what they are.

Cover Image

Canon EOS R, f/16, 1/8sec, 90mm (70-200mm), ISO-100

Looking across the harbour towards Hereweka always captivates me in the morning. There is so much going on. Diurnal tides, ships, houses with people, soft light slowly draping itself over the landscape. At this time it is quiet with only the Port Otago noise ringing out below. The town looks sleepy.

Knowing your equipment helps to get the best image. Having your settings dialed right is key. You may need to turn off the stabalizer on the lens if it is perched on a tripod so you can eliminate camera internal shake. Knowing what lens to select is critical to choose your angle of view. After taking a few shots I was not getting the image I wanted. Then I took my camera off the tripod and handheld the image realising I was not high enough. So I raised my tripod to the right spot - this made all the difference to set up the frame. Knowing your equipment, in this case, my tripod and lens allowed me to capture the soft light and reset to take the image again.

Knowing your equipment is one facet of getting great shots. Know its limitation and be able to work with it in all conditions. Especially when time is short like a sunrise. To get the right image there is limited time and it happens quicker than you imagine.