Imagining the Lectionary: backlit by Easter and luminous with hope (Easter 2A)

Imagining the Lectionary: backlit by Easter and luminous with hope
 
Reflection accompanying image “fresh spring tulips backlit”

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead...Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1:3, 8-9)

Lit by the bright Spring sunshine this group of red tulips really stands out from the dark background; the power of their collective radiance is eye catching. Three key qualities combine to produce this beautiful effect: backlight, transluscence and contrast. Strong backlighting enables the subject to stand out: viewed from a low angle it isolates, frames and reveals the shape and outline of things. When the subject is transluscent and the strong light can pass through it, the effect is luminous and wonderful and we are graced with the very opposite of a silhouette. The colours zing and pop with deep radiance and the inner being of the plant is revealed in a way that is simply not possible with flat overhead light coming from behind the viewer. Light which passes through the tulip is so much more revealing than that which is reflected back from its petals and leaves. All of these effects produce fabulously vivid and defining contrasts between the lights and darks, highlights and shadows.

Continues...