Portrait

Allegory of a Cave--Plato

Plato's Allegory of the cave
" And now, I said (Plato), let me show in a figure how far our nature is enlightened or unenlightened: --Behold! human beings living in a underground cave, which has a mouth open towards the light and reaching all along the cave; here they have been from their childhood, and have their legs and necks chained so that they cannot move, and can only see before them, being prevented by the chains from turning round their heads. Above and behind them a fire is blazing at a distance, and between the fire and the prisoners there is a raised way; and you will see, if you look, a low wall built along the way, like the screen which marionette players have in front of them, over which they show the puppets.
- I see.
And do you see, I said, men passing along the wall carrying all sorts of vessels, and statues and figures of animals made of wood and stone and various materials, which appear over the wall? Some of them are talking, others silent.
- You have shown me a strange image, and they are strange prisoners.
Like ourselves, I replied; and they see only their own shadows, or the shadows of one another, which the fire throws on the opposite wall of the cave?
- True, he said; how could they see anything but the shadows if they were never allowed to move their heads?
And of the objects which are being carried in like manner they would only see the shadows?
- Yes, he said.
And if they were able to converse with one another, would they not suppose that they were naming what was actually before them?
- Very true.
And suppose further that the prison had an echo which came from the other side, would they not be sure to fancy when one of the passers-by spoke that the voice which they heard came from the passing shadow?
- No question, he replied. 

To them, I said, the truth would be literally nothing but the shadows of the images.
- That is certain.
And now look again, and see what will naturally follow if the prisoners are released and disabused of their error. At first, when any of them is liberated and compelled suddenly to stand up and turn his neck round and walk and look towards the light, he will suffer sharp pains; the glare will distress him, and he will be unable to see the realities of which in his former state he had seen the shadows; and then conceive some one saying to him, that what he saw before was an illusion, but that now, when he is approaching nearer to being and his eye is turned towards more real existence, he has a clearer vision, -what will be his reply? And you may further imagine that his instructor is pointing to the objects as they pass and requiring him to name them, will he not be perplexed? Will he not fancy that the shadows which he formerly saw are truer than the objects which are now shown to him?
- Far truer.
And if he is compelled to look straight at the light, will he not have a pain in his eyes which will make him turn away to take and take in the objects of vision which he can see, and which he will conceive to be in reality clearer than the things which are now being shown to him?
- That is true.
And suppose once more, that he is reluctantly dragged up a steep and rugged ascent, and held fast until he 's forced into the presence of the sun himself, is he not likely to be pained and irritated? When he approaches the light his eyes will be dazzled, and he will not be able to see anything at all of what are now called realities.
- Not all in a moment, he said.
He will require to grow accustomed to the sight of the upper world. And first he will see the shadows best, next the reflections of men and other objects in the water, and then the objects themselves; then he will gaze upon the light of the moon and the stars and the spangled heaven; and he will see the sky and the stars by night better than the sun or the light of the sun by day?
- Certainly.
Last of he will be able to see the sun, and not mere reflections of him in the water, but he will see him in his own proper place, and not in another; and he will contemplate him as he is.
- Certainly.
He will then proceed to argue that this is he who gives the season and the years, and is the guardian of all that is in the visible world, and in a certain way the cause of all things which he and his fellows have been accustomed to behold?
Clearly, he said, he would first see the sun and then reason about him.
And when he remembered his old habitation, and the wisdom of the cave and his fellow-prisoners, do you not suppose that he would felicitate himself on the change, and pity them?
- Certainly, he would.
And if they were in the habit of conferring honors among themselves on those who were quickest to observe the passing shadows and to remark which of them went before, and which followed after, and which were together; and who were therefore best able to draw conclusions as to the future, do you think that he would care for such honors and glories, or envy the possessors of them? Would he not say with Homer, 
Better to be the poor servant of a poor master, and to endure anything, rather than think as they do and live after their manner?
- Yes, he said, I think that he would rather suffer anything than entertain these false notions and live in this miserable manner.

Imagine once more, I said, such an one coming suddenly out of the sun to be replaced in his old situation; would he not be certain to have his eyes full of darkness?
- To be sure, he said.
And if there were a contest, and he had to compete in measuring the shadows with the prisoners who had never moved out of the cave, while his sight was still weak, and before his eyes had become steady (and the time which would be needed to acquire this new habit of sight might be very considerable) would he not be ridiculous? Men would say of him that up he went and down he came without his eyes; and that it was better not even to think of ascending; and if any one tried to loose another and lead him up to the light, let them only catch the offender, and they would put him to death. 

- No question, he said.

Documentary Project : Milwaukee Missions

I changed my original idea for this project. I was initially going to document international pastors visiting from all over the world. I followed them as they toured various rescue missions in downtown Milwaukee and was captivated by one organization in particular. For confidentiality reasons, I cannot name the institution. It is a home for children and their mothers that need help finding work and a place to live. As I entered the lunchroom, the kids gathered around me as I began to take pictures.
I was struck by the enthusiasm and joy these children possessed despite their difficult circumstances. I chose these photos as my documentary assignment because, if I were a journalist doing a story on this rescue mission, I would use the portraits of these students to narrate part of the story for me.
I find these pictures successful because we were in a well-lit room and so the natural light complimented the subjects quite nicely. These pictures also solve the problem of trying to describe an outreach group in Milwaukee by the looks of gratitude on the students’ faces.

Lighting Assignment

Swptember 2007. Canon Digital Rebel XT, SLR

I went into an orchard to photograph the light shining through the petals of new blossoms. After reviewing my pictures, I found that I most like the shots with the light source behind the object—which emphasizes the delicate and opaque nature of the white flowers.



Canon Digital Rebel XT, SLR


Canon Digital Rebel XT, SLR

A local campus ministry recently completed what they named a “24/7 Prayer.” Students visited a small church on Wisconsin Avenue at all hours of the day and night for one full week. They were invited to spend time meditating, journaling or in any other expression or form of prayer.
One wall was covered with thick paper for students to paint, draw or write on. They could write whatever they felt—and the result was a beautiful mosaic of private thoughts.
I was given permission to keep the giant posters—and I took them back to my dorm room to photograph. My windows face the west, so in the evening, the prayer wall looked beautiful posted on a wall in the dorm, with my doors open and the warm sunlight falling in the background.




Canon Digital Rebel XT, SLR

Light Technique in a Professional Assignment

Taken with Canon EOS 30D.

I was given the assignment to take this author's portrait. It is an example of light's importance in a photograph because we used a standard 50mm F1.4 lens--which offered a good-sized aperture stop for a room lit only with daylight from windows on the right. I appreciated this lens and light source because they softened the details on the subject's face and gave the composition a gentle feel.
This project turned out to be a success. The photo was used in several brochures—including an alumnus of the year announcement for the author’s respective graduate school. It will also be used in catalogues promoting his newest book as well as on the jacket of the book itself.
I considered asking for a small compensation for taking the picture—but the author is already paying my tuition. Thanks, Dad.

Examples of Light in Past Work

This image is a favorite from my portfolio. It was taken with a good ol’ fashioned manual 35mm Minolta. I find the photo successful because of the shadow, mysteriously masking the subject’s identity. Though this was taken a few years ago—I decided to post it here because I still consider it a strong example of my work.


Taken in New Orleans, LA. January 2007. Canon Digital Rebel XT, SLR

This image and the two following are examples from an expedition I joined last winter to gut houses that were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. Upon entering a dilapidated home, all was dark, save for the dirtied windows letting in pitiful amounts of sunshine. The light, in this case, was beautiful to photograph but less useful for working conditions.



Taken in New Orleans, LA. January 2007. Canon Digital Rebel XT, SLR

A volunteer lifts a sledgehammer above his head while bashing the bathroom tile in a severely devastated house. The light shining behind the subject obscures the figure—but gives a heroic spotlight effect on him. The light also shines through the billowing clouds of mold and dust infesting the house—bringing the viewer a small sense of the atmosphere captured here.



Taken in New Orleans, LA. January 2007. Canon Digital Rebel XT, SLR

I found this eroded crucifix among the final remains of a house. The lighting in this photo allows the shadow to create interesting contrast in the negative space and emphasize the symbolic figure.



August 2007. Canon PowerShot S3 IS

This summer I was visiting Paris and, as I was touring alone, I practiced some photography abroad. While the Notre Dame cathedral afforded many opportunities for very tourist-looking photographs--one of my most favorite shots is from the votive candles inside. They speak nothing to the beautiful architecture of the place, but simply offer an emotion with meek, symbolic light in a dark corner.