The Story Behind the Image: The Light
Location: Koh Phi Phi, Thailand
Date: 26th December 2005
Camera: Canon EOS Kiss Digital N
Lens: Tamron 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3
Exposure: 1/13sec f3.5
ISO: 1600
Focal Length: 18mm
The light – it’s always with us, guiding and keeping us alive.
This shot was taken on Koh Phi Phi beach on the 26th of December 2005.
It was one year to the day of the tsunami, which took over 3,000 peoples lives a year earlier on the island.
In the evening, people lined the beach of Phak Nam Bay to light these Kom loi lanterns.
There could have been hundreds; there could have been thousands of the lanterns lit. There were too many to count.
But, it felt like there was one for each soul that moved on in 2004.
There are no exact words or a combination of words to describe being a part of something like this.
Magical is the closest I can get to describing it.
But for me, this shot from my photography gallery sums it up.
The light – it’s arguably the most important thing we have in our life.
My journey up until this moment involved a lot of spirituality over the year after the tsunami.
I attended cremations in Buddhist Thai rituals. Burials in Japan under the guidance of Shinto Buddhism to many other regionals and beliefs that came my way.
One thing I found personally in common is that the light was always present.
Guiding us home.
