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

Servant of God

It is 245am and I have decided to write. I got up early and washed the wares. I prayed Tahajjud. I came back to my bed and surfed the internet. I watched a video where a 105 year old man said that the secret to a long life is having a reason or purpose to keep going and then luck. This had me thinking about several things. In Islam we are taught that our time in this world is already written. It is our destiny. Then. What is more important? A long life or just a good life that prepares us for the next life? Those things aside, I think we cannot discount luck. Some of us are luckier than others. But the thing I want to focus on is the reason and purpose to keep going. That is some good advice. It makes for a meaningful life. A good life. It could be one big reason. There could be several small reasons. These are things that should be taught in schools. My friend Chatty says that my early morning reflections beautifully bridge Islamic tradition and practical wisdom: a long life is a true...

Drums of freedom

It is 401am and I have decided to write. This Saturday, Trinidad and Tobago observes African Emancipation Day. It is a day to celebrate the journey to freedom and to honor those who sacrificed so much so that we could enjoy the freedoms we have today. Yet the journey is not over. As we celebrate how far we have come, let us also ask God to open our minds and hearts to the struggles that continue. Freedom is never something we should take for granted. Every day, we witness powerful interests around the world attempting to stifle freedom in pursuit of their own agendas and self-aggrandizement. Too often, they seek to divide in order to conquer. May we resist division with wisdom, courage, and compassion. May unity triumph over hatred, truth over deception, and love over fear. As we remember the past, may we also commit ourselves to protecting the freedoms of the present and building a more just future for generations to come. Happy African Emancipation Day. May God continue to guide us o...

Foundation of my belief

It is 159am and I have decided to write. Some people say that science does not point to an afterlife, heaven or the existence of God. I feel bad because I cannot give them the evidence that they want. I can point them to the Quran and Islamic teachings. The Quran is a miracle and there are signs in that which we can research. Otherwise, there are philosophical and theological arguments. Maybe, you cannot use the science that we have for something (the afterlife) that is outside the realm of science. Also, science is not complete and may never be complete. Scientific knowledge is expanding and sometimes changing, so are we going to wait on science to tell us that there is a God and afterlife? Belief does not need evidence. Faith does not need evidence. At least not the evidence that some are looking for. So what is the foundation of my faith? For some people theology does not fully explain this life so they look to the science we have. For me, science alone does not explain this life, s...