Practice 2 Video- Face Towards the Sunshine
In the early 1900s, an author named M. B. Whitman said, "Keep your face towards the sunshine and the shadows will fall behind you." But let me ask you this: When things get tough, do you naturally turn towards the light and positivity, or do you find yourself magnetically attracted to going negative?
There's a reason for that, and today, we’re going to explore it through Practice Two of the Mindful Photography Field Guide, called Face Towards the Sunshine. If you’re really looking to break the pattern of negativity, I encourage you to try this practice out.
Developing a Reflex for Positivity
The goal of this practice is to develop a reflex to turn towards the positive and the ultimate source of light when you encounter a negative thought spiral. With mindful photography, the first step is to set your intention. Start by turning your smartphone into a simple camera. Put it on airplane mode and disconnect Wi-Fi. Let's unjack from the matrix for a little while.
When you’re out walking around and ready to do the practice, place your hand on your heart and check in with your level of peace. Take three deep belly breaths to pull some oxygen into your lungs, and let’s drop from the monkey mind down into our bodies. As you open your eyes, take a moment to notice where you are and the beauty around you. Welcome to Redstone, Colorado. We’re surrounded by beautiful colors, but today, we’re not focusing on color—we’re focusing on light and shadows instead.
Focusing on Light and Shadows
For this practice, we’re going to shoot in black and white. While you can convert your beautiful smartphone photos to black and white after the fact, did you know that you can actually choose the black and white filter in your camera app before shooting? This allows you to see everything on the screen in black and white, reducing distractions and keeping you focused on light, shadows, and shades of gray.
Today, I’m using the Noir filter—N O I R—which means black in French. It’s a super high contrast setting that’s perfect for this practice. To me, it creates an Ansel Adams-like look, especially with landscapes.
The Practice: Shooting Light and Shadows
The assignment is simple: Walk around on a sunny day, let things attract you, and photograph them. First, shoot the object backlit between you and the sun, then swivel and shoot the shadow it’s casting. Sometimes, you’ll be able to catch both the backlit object and its shadow at the same time. Then, repeat this process again and again.
When you visit me in Colorado, one of the first places I’ll take you is the church at Redstone. You’ll be in for a treat with the beautiful stained glass windows inside. It’s such a privilege to live and worship in an area where God’s creation is so spectacular. These stained glass windows, designed and crafted by Mary Matchell of Crystal Glass Studio, are a reminder that when we see the mountains, trees, streams, and wildlife, we should praise God, the ultimate designer and creator.
Every time I stand in this sanctuary and bask in the glow of these windows, I feel full of positivity, inspiration, and light. That’s the same feeling I had when I was first introduced to The Power of Positive Thinking by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale. Reading that book gave me those full-body tingles that come from hearing the truth.
The Power of Positive Thinking
I had a revelation about the power and nature of God that changed everything for me. Peale spoke of transforming our minds through Christ, of holding onto mental pictures of dreams in our imagination—pictures that our minds naturally develop if we keep them clear and focused while releasing the outcome to God’s will.
Now, let me introduce you to the coking ovens that greet you when you arrive in Redstone. Built in the late 1800s to reduce impurities in coal, these ovens played a vital role in the local industry until the mines closed. Later, in the 1960s, they were supposedly used as living spaces by hippies who settled in Redstone. That sounds about right.
Embracing the Shadow
If you find yourself going negative, I get it. It’s such a part of human nature that it’s been called many things: the shadow, lizard brain, the flesh, the sin nature, the lower self, or as Darth Vader calls it, the dark side. It seems to be a universal part of our human experience. And the really messed up part about ruminating on the negative is that there’s a sick sense of accomplishment while we’re doing it. It’s almost like we’re actually accomplishing something.
The concept of the shadow was explored extensively by the Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung in the early 1900s. Jung described the shadow as the side of ourselves that contains the shameful parts we want to hide, like self-sabotage, anger, resentment, sexual shame, projection of our own faults onto others, envy, judgment, and perfectionism. But did Jung teach ways to obliterate the shadow? No. Instead, he suggested we embrace it and use it as a tool for growth.
Keeping Your Focus on the Light
Some of you Bible scholars may know the story of Peter barreling down the Crystal River in his kayak, facing class five rapids during spring runoff. He’s in major danger, gulping water, and then he sees Jesus walking on the rapids. Jesus simply says, “Peter, get out and come towards me.” Peter bails out of his kayak and starts walking towards Jesus on the water—until he doesn’t. He takes his face off the sunshine and puts it on the turbulence instead, and he starts to sink.
I can tell you from personal experience, I know how Peter felt. But I also know this: Every time I’ve sunk like that after taking my face off the sunshine, I’ve always been able to depend on God’s hand to reach down and pull me back up.
Shining Your Light on Others
The last step in each mindful photography practice is to shine your light on someone else. Breathe, edit down your beautiful creations, and remember to stay off social media. This is about a mindful, one-on-one connection of the heart. Send a few of your favorites to someone who could use a love note of encouragement. In doing so, you’ll notice that you’ve just turned your face towards the sunshine.
