The Power of the Sun

I find that sunlight is the ultimate source of power. Maybe our bodies are like batteries and the sun is the charger. Two days ago it was extremely nice outside with lots of sunlight and I made sure to walk around without a shirt on by the riverside and absorb as much UV rays as possible. What I realize is, basking in sunlight is bliss. Not to mention, the following day, I felt like I had an insane abundance of power that was stored up from the day before. Also, it helps me get better sleep, setting my circadian rhythm or my natural biological clock, waking up before sunrise and sleeping with he sunset.

Why are people anti-sun?

A few days ago, while I was tanning in the park, this guy came up to me and was questioning how I’m able to stand in the sunlight for so long. He told me to put on a hat at least or wear some sunglasses like himself. He was completely covered up with a hat, sunglasses, and full beard. He had very pale skin and looks like he hasn’t been outside for a while. Maybe people are becoming more accustomed to the indoor lifestyle, and because of this, get used to wearing sunglasses. Maybe sunglasses trick your eyes into thinking that you’re still inside, making it harder for your eyes and body to adapt to the sunlight and the way that it interacts with your skin. I think that all people can get tan, perhaps you just have to do gradual increments overtime. I think that having tan skin means that you are full of vitality and energy and healthy. I feel so much better when I’m tan, in the sun, and absorb as much sunlight in my day as possible.

It seems that a lot of people think that the sun causes cancer and that too much exposure is unhealthy. To me, this makes no sense. The main reason why we are here right now, breathing, talking, and thinking is because the sun is positioned at the perfect distance from the Earth. Without the sun, there are no people. I just use this simple fact alone to guide my thoughts in regards to sunlight. Even in the first couple of words in the Bible in the book of Genesis of the Old Testament, you read that God has created light on the first day. 

Let there be light!

Without the darkness, there is no light. On the rainy and cloudy days like this, I’m thankful for the good days, the days when the light is out, and the sun is peering beyond the clouds. I’m very grateful for the things, such as sunlight, water, and grass fed beef. There’s very simple things and pleasures that keep me happy. 

Painting with light

Let us not forget that photography is merely painting with light. When I consider this, and the way that light casts upon the surfaces around me, the world is an endless canvas for me to draw endlessly upon. There’s infinite potential with photography because of the nuances and changes of light and the way it etches shapes and gives form to objects, people, and places. Because of the change that light provides, you can never make the same photo twice. It does not matter if it’s of the same thing or even a separate photographer at the same place, the light will never stay the same. Perhaps we should embrace this notion of change and create photographs in a stream of becoming. This means, your next photograph is your best photograph, and the goal is to remain curious, continuously evolve, change, and transcend, like a stream ever flowing.

Go beyond

As we go through every day lives, always bring a camera with you. Snapshot your way through life, and embrace the mundane world around you. Find new ways to uplift the things that are seemingly overlooked or banal, and create something from nothing.

With a camera in hand, nothing can stop you, nothing can break your spirit, and your lust for life. 

We must learn to appreciate the journey and let go of the outcome. Forget about the pictures, results, galleries, books, contests, and all of the things within the realm of photography. We must continuously push our rock uphill even if we never make it to the top. One fun approach I have to life is to treat it like a video game. Video games are meant to be fun, and so should our photographic journey and life. It shouldn’t feel like a chore to take pictures, but it should be second nature to us. Lighten the load of your rock, and embrace the new, compact, digital camera systems to make the game easier to play. When you’re out there on the street, you never know what stories will unfold on the street corner. The people you meet along the way, things that you see, and experience, are what make this journey worth it in the end. Like in a video game, there are endless stories and paths that you can take. There’s new ways that you can play each day that makes the novelty of video games so enticing to players. Use photography as a way to increase your lust for life, discover new places, and find novel ways to approach the same thing each day. 

Elevate your soul

When I consider the goal of street photography, maybe it is to elevate the human experience to new heights that have never been seen before. not only do our photographs become an abstraction of the street and life itself, but it reflects inward on our soul. There is a strange trend towards the tormented artist, the overly emotional, nostalgia, sensational, dark, morose, and emo aesthetic. Think of artists like Basquiat or Pollock. Basquiat died at my age, 27, from a heroin overdose. Pollock died in a car crash while under the influence of alcohol. We should stay sober and find our Dionysian state outside of drugs and alcohol. Embrace danger, and the chaos artists seek in new ways such as weightlifting and travel. We should strive to create from a joyous state of abundance, and ultimately your photographs will reflect this joy, curiosity, and childlike spirit. The world doesn’t need another tormented, drunk, or emo artist. The world needs more dangerous and gay monsters. Achieving the state of abundance and joy is very simple. Just go for long walks, get more sun exposure, eat more meat, and get deep sleep. Also, delete your Instagram, and uninstall all media applications from your phone. 

Stop consuming, and start moving.

One practical suggestion I have is to start your day off from an elevated surface. When I visit the cliff behind the Philadelphia Museum of Art, I can look out towards the river, trees, and beautiful architecture. By quite literally elevating myself at this height, I can see beyond the horizon, and recognize the infinite and endless opportunity to explore that the world provides you. Just think, you could live to 120 years old, and never see everything that life has to offer. In this world there is so much to see, do, and explore, and we should remind ourselves this by gazing out at the horizon, and recognize that we can transcend and go beyond it. 

Another important thing that I’ve been adopting in my lifestyle is eating one meal a day. When I am fasted, and have no food in my belly, the connection between my mind and my body is extremely sharp. Let us remember that the camera is an extension of your body and your mind, as your mind and your eyes are connected, and your oculus, your two eyes, are what allow you to perceive the world, with sharp visual acuity, recognizing the patterns in both nature and human behavior. This is something to consider, as when your gut is digesting, and there is food within it, I find that your mind and body connection is disrupted. I believe that we must follow our intuition, listen to our gut, and trust our natural instincts went on the street. By remaining fasted, you can tap into that godlike intuition that you possess deep within your physical gut. My theory is that God is with within your body, within your physiology, within your gut.

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