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Night Angel

June 22, 2014

By Tineke Ziemer

June 23^rd, 2014

fear of the unknown

Last night was the final photography workshop for my students. I was teaching flash photography and it was exciting to watch the new possibilities revealed before their eyes! I used to be scared to death of supplementary light. It seemed so technical and mathematical and down-right beyond my brain! It was many years before I was even willing to take the risk of trying my flash as a main light source, and several years beyond that to actually embrace it. Funny to look back, now that I’m teaching it, and laugh at myself for the unfounded worries.
While I confess that I do still prefer the softness of natural light in most cases, using supplementary light has become a fun part of my photography journey. In fact, this year I made it a goal to use it for my photography assignments as often as possible. I have loved the challenge and the rewards it has brought to my work!

Thought for the Day

Fear can be a crippling force, but most of the time it’s really just the unknown that we are afraid of. Looking back at my irrational fear of new lighting styles, I realize that I was just afraid to fail. It was easier not to try something new at all, than to face that I wasn’t good at it. Thankfully, when the timing was right, I realized with much relief and enthusiasm, that it wasn’t that difficult after all. With practice, I’ve gotten the hang of it. I would have missed out on so many images that I’m proud of if I’d never taken the leap.