Community
Last night Matt and I were setting up different lighting configurations and discussing ways to push beyond the stereotypical portraiture and press on for the ever better image. A great image is of course completely subjective to its use, and to the person viewing it. But I believe part of image creation is understanding the context the images will be used in as well as the personality of the subject in order to create an objectively great image within its context.
However, the interesting part of the evening consisted of our dinner break. Our studio exists in the middle of Old Town Newhall. I guesstimate that I have driven down this street close to three thousand times in the past seven years. Three thousand drives and there are things which I had never noticed till I got out of the car, moved into a building and started observing things in a new light. The owner of the restaurant which we dined at heartily welcomed us into the community and offered to help us in any way she could. She also recommended we eat at her restaurant for lunch every day. But the thing which amazed me was the sense of community you feel once you have established and associated yourself with an area and people group.
On the surface side Newhall has a rich history, and is a quaint little city which I am just learning to appreciate. On the spiritual side it made me think how easy it is to move through the world with indifference and never realize that there are people longing for relationships and community all around us who we, as Christians, simply ignore. Many of us have lived next to the same neighbors for many years and never even learned their names. How is this shining as a light in the world?
However, the interesting part of the evening consisted of our dinner break. Our studio exists in the middle of Old Town Newhall. I guesstimate that I have driven down this street close to three thousand times in the past seven years. Three thousand drives and there are things which I had never noticed till I got out of the car, moved into a building and started observing things in a new light. The owner of the restaurant which we dined at heartily welcomed us into the community and offered to help us in any way she could. She also recommended we eat at her restaurant for lunch every day. But the thing which amazed me was the sense of community you feel once you have established and associated yourself with an area and people group.
On the surface side Newhall has a rich history, and is a quaint little city which I am just learning to appreciate. On the spiritual side it made me think how easy it is to move through the world with indifference and never realize that there are people longing for relationships and community all around us who we, as Christians, simply ignore. Many of us have lived next to the same neighbors for many years and never even learned their names. How is this shining as a light in the world?
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