― Søren Kierkegaard
A frog in a well does not know the great sea.
– Japanese proverb
Falling in love with a country is much like falling into the proverbial rabbit hole. One minute you are walking in the woods unsuspectingly, the next you’re speeding down a deep tunnel, looking around you and wondering how you found yourself there.
In my lifetime as a photographer I have photographed many things. From product to landscape to people, I have had a chance to experience variety and see how the light interacts with trees, human faces, pieces of jewelry, you name it. After all, photography is all about light.
“Within every woman there is a wild and natural force, filled with good instincts, passionate creativity and ageless knowing. Her name is Wild Woman but she is… An endangered species.”
— Clarissa Pinkola Estés
“Are you Yuliya? The photographer?”, someone asked behind me as I was strolling my local farmer’s market in search for the perfect raspberries. I turned to locate the source of the voice. I was met with a young woman with long, curly hair who was surrounded by flowers in her market stand. She was smiling.
“We cultivate love when we allow our most vulnerable and powerful selves to be deeply seen and known, and when we honor the spiritual connection that grows from that offering with trust, respect, kindness and affection.
Love is not something we give or get; it is something that we nurture and grow, a connection that can only be cultivated between two people when it exists within each one of them – we can only love others as much as we love ourselves.”
― Brené Brown
Every morning I open my eyes, get out of bed and put on my favorite sweater that neatly hangs over the arm of the chair next to where I sleep. The sweater is such a comfort after getting out of a warm bed; it helps with the transition to daytime and the state of being awake. I walk over to the kitchen, stretch my sleepy limbs in a slow, deliberate way and turn on the electric kettle to boil some water.
It’s time for my morning ceremony.
As much as I love living in the Pacific Northwest the seemingly never-ending days of rain can definitely alter my state to that of near insanity. Last week, as I looked at the forecast, more rain was predicted at which point it would have meant it would have been raining for ten days without a stop. Wanting desperately to go outside and play with my camera was out of the question – the rain kept coming down in merciless, hard sheets of water. So I continued to stew in my cabin fever, distracting myself by writing, drinking tea and reading Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by the amazing Neil deGrasse Tyson. Until…
A bit over a month ago, in mid December, I took a rustic, hand-woven basket out of our kitchen closet. I then packed it with a multitool and a few other small bags. Several layers of clothing, a hat and fingerless gloves. I was ready for my foraging expedition in my beautiful neighborhood.
I looked around the beautiful garden that was so clearly loved and tended to for many years and noticed a striking shaft of light paving its way across the grass. Grabbing an old, slightly rusty metal chair I put it directly in the path of light and asked Melanie to sit down. Her brown curls were instantly illuminated by the warm, orange rays. The sun wrapped around her like a blanket, warm and golden. Looking at her backlit, glowing, luminous, I asked her to look at her house and think about her beloved husband and the amazing life they had together. To relish in their glorious love, in their memories, despite the fact that the house was soon to be torn down and that the love of her life suddenly passed away ten months ago. She paused, closed her eyes and cried for a few moments. My heart reached out to Melanie and I was just there, present, supportive with my spirit as much as my silence. She wiped her eyes, lifted her chin high and looked at the house again. That’s when I clicked the shutter.
Have you ever heard of Pantone Institute? It is an establishment started back in the 50s with the sole purpose of communicating color amidst various professions, from designers and architects to painters and corporate labels. After all my purple may be different from your purple since color is still very much based on perception and subjectivity.
