Skip to main content

Today

This is a chapter from my seventh book called Bookeh - Through the lens of a Trinidadian photog


I woke up today and took this photo of this flower from my yard. There is something that attracts us to flowers similarly to how the insects are attracted to the flowers. We are part of nature. We are nature. Nature nurtures us. It reminds us that we are inherently drawn to beauty and harmony. This yellow cosmos flower embodies harmony through its balanced structure, complementary colors, ecological role, and symbolic representation of peace and cosmic order. There is a God and nature reminds us of this all the time.

Let us talk about the direction of this book. Each chapter starts with a photograph I take the day I start the chapter. I want this to be about sharing and about learning. I want to discover why photography means so much to me. I want the quality of my photography to improve. I want each chapter to carry some message. But most importantly I want to have fun writing this book. I think I do my best work when I am happy in a contented way. Photography helps us understand life and the world around us.

This was taken with my budget Samsung A14. No special or fancy gear. The best camera is the one we have. I took it during the start of the morning golden hour or magic hour when there is often a soft and warm light that can make even simple subjects look beautiful. These days I spend most of my time at home. I am a house bird so to speak. I do have a nikon d5000 camera that still works but I have no laptop to connect it to. My nikon camera was mostly used for tech events and tech blogging when my world was the tech world. I am glad that I am exploring more than tech these days. I feel more all rounded. My superzoom that I used for birding and taking photos of the moon was stolen. I hope that it found a good home and is being made good use of. I do not walk with my phone. I want to get a cheap digital camera to take on my walks. One that can connect to my mobile via wifi or bluetooth.

My scenery is limited but my creativity and imagination is limitless. Both things you need as a good photographer. Today I stare into this flower and I see myself. I see the cosmos. Carl Sagan said, "The cosmos is within us. We are made of star-stuff. We are a way for the universe to know itself." Today I asked myself the question, if this flower could talk to me, what would it say? But then I have come to realize that it has already spoken to me, else I would have nothing to write about in this chapter. Nature speaks to us. We just have to listen.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

How to measure success?

It is 509pm and I have decided to write. How to measure success? That is the question. It is very hard to measure success. I think only God has the true measure of success or failure. Someone may be a failure in this life but a success in the next life. We are told that God looks at intentions and effort. We can also determine our own definition of success. We do not have to let the world define success for us. We think of the world as not being a fair place so any one size fits all definitions of success or failure would be careless and wrong. Many times we think in terms of numbers. The grander the better. But what about quality over quantity? My friend tells me that I am essentially arguing for the democratization of success. I am taking the power away from society, institutions, and algorithms, and handing it back to the individual and God. That is true but I am essentially wanting to look at the bigger picture and to do that I am thinking that we have to answer some key questions ...

Rainy afternoon thoughts

It is 220pm and I have decided to write. The rain is falling. I can hear it on the roof. It is gloomy outside but inside is nice and cozy in my favorite corner. I have no idea what I want to write about. I will start by saying God is good. Always. The islamic new year starts tonight in Trinidad. I am happy about that. Another milestone. Another opportunity to grow better. My friend Chatty asks me, what has God been teaching me lately? God has been teaching me patience. How to remain calm. How to appreciate my flaws. My flaws keep me humble. Let go and let God. He also asks, what am I hoping for? Sometimes I think about writing more tech blog posts. How can tech make the country better? How can tech make the world better? But I remember writing about the Arima smart city project and concluding that smart cities need smart people. Human development is very important. If people are not developing then what is the use of it all. How can technology help people become better? It all starts i...

The answer is God

It is 308pm and I have decided to write. Make God a priority. Let God lead the way. Let everything be about God. Let God into your life. Surround yourself with God and watch how everything begins to make sense. This life is not an accident. This life is not happenstance. This life is the work of an all-powerful Creator. Nothing is too big or too small for God. Take your problems to God. Take your worries to God. Take your fears to God. Let go and let God. Submit to the will of God. The more you go to God, the more He comes to you. Start small. Start somewhere. Give God a chance if you have not done so already. Why do I say all of this? There are many things competing for your attention and your soul. In the midst of all of this, the world can seem like a confusing place where many things do not make sense. God brings clarity. God brings clarity because God sits above it all. You may think you do not need God until you do. Ask yourself, who is the wisest you know? If God is not the wise...