No Words Necessary

by Leigh

By now I'm sure you are all familiar with the fact that we all met up in Galveston a couple weeks ago.  And I'm sure you heard about what a wonderful time we had.  My fellow FOL'ers have done such a beautiful job summing up the experience so really what else can I add?  I guess I could tell you about all the laughs…..all the tears….all the gear talk….the post processing chit chats….and the mosquitoes.  I could definitely tell you about the mosquitoes and there is still evidence on my legs!  

………BUT……I bet you wouldn't expect me to talk about the silence.  Yes, you heard me right….silence.  No noise.  No laughter.  No talking.  Just stillness.

At this point you are probably thinking to yourselves…what the heck is Leigh talking about?  You expect me to believe that with a group of 10 women that there were any moments of silence?  But there were.

We gathered together early one morning at the beach led by our sunrise leader Kim.  Everyone found their own spot along the beach as we waited for the first glimpse of the sun.  We chatted as we set up our tripods and discussed our settings and then it was time for the show.  As the first sight of pink along the horizon the chit chat stopped and all that could be heard were the waves rolling in and out.  We stood there witnessing an amazing sunrise.  There were really no words that could have been spoken to make the experience any more grander than it was.  As the sun continued to rise and shine through the clouds the world started to wake up.  The birds began to fly in as they sang their morning songs.  The seagulls flew low along the water waiting for their first catch of the day.  It was a mediative moment for me...a time to breathe in everything around me and just be still and witness the amazing world that we live in.  Joy filled my soul when I realized that everyone else felt the same way and there were no interruptions.  We were all there for the same purpose and stood in silence together.  No words were necessary.

One evening we found a spot to watch the sunset.  We must have caused quite a stir because cars kept slowing down and people asked "what's going on out there?  What are you looking at?  Is there something out there?"  Yes, the sunset we would reply and the people just shrugged their shoulders, rolled up their windows and continued on their way.  I guess it's just a photographer thing.  That beautiful golden hour light makes us slow down and focus on what's happening in the here and now.  The sunset was pretty that evening, but it was the golden glow that really stole the show.  

We returned back to our beach house and realized that there was a spectacular view just across the street.  As you can see….we all did our own thing….totally in our element.  And it was quiet.  And still.  And peaceful.  No words necessary. 

Our last evening in Galveston was spent on the west end of the island where we found a perfect viewing place along a pier.  At one point Kelly and I both stopped shooting and just took it all in.  It was no longer a time for shooting, but a time for reflection.  I'm pretty sure there were tears in both of our eyes.  No words were necessary.

This is what we were watching.  How could you see this and not stop, be quiet and pause for a moment? Watching a sunset never gets old especially when you have this view! 

"It's almost impossible to see a sunset and not dream" 

Thank you to my FOL sisters.  Not only for the laughter and the tears, but thank you for those moments of silence together.  They were truly special.