When we were kids, it didn’t take much to fill us with a sense of wonder. A leaf on the ground, a shadow on the wall, the sound of a cricket – the simplest things could stop us in our tracks and leave us spellbound with curiosity and joy.
In that spirit of childlike wonder, I embarked on a two-part project that led to the photograph you see here.
The first part involved a fun science experiment, done with my seven-year-old granddaughter Lily. Using her junior science kit, we mixed a special powder into water to create crystals that grew during the course of a week. Watching the crystals gradually rise up and take shape in the little plastic cup was an intriguing sight to behold.
The second part of my project involved photographing the tiny crystals through a macro lens using a technique I’d never tried before: illuminating with cross-polarized light.
It’s a simple technique that uses a pair of polarized filters (like the ones used in polarized sunglasses to reduce glare and reflections.) One filter is placed between the light source and the object being photographed; the other is attached to the camera lens. When the two filters are rotated relative to each other, a dazzling new world appears before your eyes. Plastic objects glow with a rainbow of colors ... tiny grains of sand or salt become psychedelic prisms.
Seeing the effects of cross-polarized light is another vivid reminder that there’s much more to the universe than we can see with our limited senses. It’s also a testament to the benefit of experiencing new things, whether it’s a new food, a new travel destination or a new photographic technique as we keep our lives filled with fresh surprises.
“Doing something new is like bringing back that sense of awe that children have,” says Dr. Karyn Hall, a licensed psychologist and author.
One of the things I love about photography is that it continually reignites the wonder I felt as a child. It encourages me to be more aware of the miraculous world around me, to open my eyes, to find new ways of seeing – and, yes, to be filled to the brim with that sense of awe.
I'll be showing more of my polarized light explorations in the coming weeks. Stay tuned.
If you enjoyed this post, consider sharing it with a friend or posting to your social media account.