Tales by Light

Dearest Mr. Bradley,

 Do you remember when we sat for an entire lunch break and talked about travel photography? I always thought that was funny, considering neither of us is a particularly skilled photographer. But we both love travel so much that we are curious about all fields related to it, hence our lengthy discussion on photography.

 Something that you said during that discussion was very similar to a sentiment I heard in the Netflix Original show Tales by Light. The photographer in the episode was talking about his boyhood desire to dive the wreckage of the a Mitsubishi bi-plane that crashed into Rabaul harbor during World War II. He said, “I just knew that I wanted to dive it for some reason, you get these things in your mind from time to time and you envisage the image you want to create.”

 When I first heard this, it triggered a memory in me, but it took me a while to put the pieces together. I remember that as you and I were wrapping up our conversation, you asked me if I had ever made a bucket list. I told you that I had, and you asked me to show you. After giving it a quick scan and acknowledging the fact that most of my dreams included travel, you asked me how I planned to accomplish those goals. I’m sure I gave you a basic answer about hard work and determination, but you said something that has stuck with me to this day. “Don’t worry so much about accomplishing everything. Just start with one thing - but you have to visualize yourself there, in that place or moment. Then you can work backwards and see what steps you need to take to get there.”

 This idea of visualizing a goal and then working through small steps to accomplish it was very prevalent in Tales by Light. In the first episode, the photographer travels to multiple locations to shoot marine photos, including some action shots of whales. This seems like such a large, unattainable thing, but really it boils down to nothing more than a series of small steps. The photographer researched a location, contacted the people who owned the area where he would like to shoot, and then made necessary travel arrangements to go there. He gathered a team and equipment, and then used his diving skills to reach the underwater location where he could begin shooting.

This idea of achieving big goals by completing small tasks is one that I think more people could benefit from. Starting a new job, making new friends, or checking items off of your bucket list are all intimidating things, but not when we realize that they can be easily accomplished. Tales by Light showed the finished product of the photographer’s hard work, but it also showed some of the less glamorous parts of photography. I appreciated this, because it reminded me that just because you vision yourself achieving something doesn’t mean you’ve achieved it. You have to put in plenty of work, but for things you really want it life, it is worth it. 

Tales by Light: The Photographer's Dream Show

Searching for something new on Netflix this week, I stumbled upon an interesting looking documentary focused on the art of travel photography. I ended up picking this documentary entitled Tales by Light perhaps due to the fact that my boyfriend is a photographer but also because I find travel photography incredibly captivating. The documentary currently has two seasons, both with six episodes each and all entitled with the region or subject of the photographer so that viewers can easily choose one to watch on a subject that interests them.

"Himalaya," the second episode in the first season, focused on the photography of Richard I'Anson as he captured the rich history in the various festivals and wildlife in India. I really appreciated the smoothness of the camera as it curiously glossed around the surroundings, much like how a viewer would if he or she was actually there observing for the first time. Often through the episode as I'Anson spoke over the video explaining his experience in taking photos, the scene was interjected with his actual pictures almost like a slideshow. I thought this was particularly interesting because the editors of the show wanted the audience to have that advantage of seeing the "backstage" aspect of photography.  Seeing him taking the photo and transitioning into the real shots allowed the viewer got a complete view of the event, again like he or she was right there with him. Even more so, the editors included the click of the camera when showing his pictures to give a spectacular auditory layer of inclusion in the event. 

Later, I'Anson took part in capturing the famous Festival of Holi, in which the people of India throw colorful powder and celebrate regrowth and joy for the coming year. As you could imagine, the scene is set in complete explosions of vibrant color and rapid movement. I thought it was a brilliant touch to manipulate the video into slow motion so the audience could take time to look around within the frame and take in everything that was happening. I'Anson really dove into the culture by allowing the Indian women to hit him with wet clothes as he walked by, something that is truly just a norm for the occasion among locals. When his photos from the festival were interjected that time, the viewer could easily tell the level of passion and movement caught in each and every shot.

To compliment the final slow motion video of the mountains via helicopter, I'Anson ends saying that photography can be simply a visual record of a place visited or it can be a window into the deeper, more diverse places of the world, providing other photographers watching with an option to make that choice for themselves.