Shadows and Highlights
The other day, I was looking at the headlines for a local news station, and it left me shaking my head. Here are a few of the features:
“[Hate crime] attack planned for over a year.”
“Driver sentenced in DUI crash.”
“Man sentenced to life in deadly rock-throwing spree.”
“[Local county] Schools investigated by US Education Dept.”
Those are local area headlines. I was a bit hesitant to look at some of the national headlines, but here’s a little of what I found:
“Vermont congresswoman faces backlash…”
“Troop casualties…”
“Is civil war coming to Europe?”
“Smoke from Canadian wildfires pours south.”
“[Racially motivated] hatred surges…”
I didn't focus on the top headlines from each site. Although there were positive and neutral headlines, sensational negative news remains prominent. As William Randolph Hearst said in 1890, "If it bleeds, it leads." Such headlines are crafted to catch your attention, and we naturally gravitate toward negative news like a moth to a flame.
The negative is even in the comics. One of the ones I read regularly had a main character being told to “count your blessings.” He pulled out paper and after doing some mathematical calculations learned his Total Blessings amount was -14. He closed the comic with the statement, “No wonder I’m so miserable.”
It's also puzzling that despite mental health discussions, negative information consumption is rarely mentioned as a cause for its decline.
So, what is the solution? Am I advocating for ignoring news, social media, entertainment, and people, as well as disregarding life's negative events? Instead, should we retreat into a world of sunshine, rainbows, and puppy dogs? No. Life will continue, and to paraphrase Undeniable Truth of Life #4, “Stuff Will Happen.”
As a photographer, one of the things that I must be aware of when I shoot is to pay attention to both light and shadows. I don’t always have control of these, so I have to adjust my settings as I go. This has taught me to embrace the shadows but protect the highlights.
What I mean is this: when a photograph is underexposed, the shadows (the darkest areas) are darker, sometimes almost black. More often than not, I can adjust the image in post-production to enhance what is too dark and make it look better. So, I will underexpose my scene by a stop or two, so that all of the information of the image is saved and I can bring out what I want to.
On the other side of the coin, when a picture is overexposed, the highlights (the lightest areas) of the image appear as bright white, and the image can’t be adjusted enough to recover what is “blown out.” It’s kind of like when a meal is left in the oven or on the stove for too long. Once it’s burnt, you can’t do much to save it.
How does this work in life? The principle is similar. Recognize that stuff will happen: good stuff, bad stuff, neutral stuff, interesting stuff, on and on. Embrace it. I don’t mean to hold tightly to the dark times of your life but recognize it. Don’t be afraid to touch it, but don’t wallow in misery. There are too many people who want to be miserable, and even more, want company while they are miserable.
With the highlights, protect them. Treasure them. With all of the negative in this world, give yourself reminders of the highlights in the everyday of life. One way to do this is to get a notebook or a journal. Sit down at the end of each day and write out 3-5 things that made you smile.
Some examples, from my journal:
- The sunrise coming up behind the tree.
- Blueberry pancakes
- Good meeting with Gary
- Daffy’s Rhapsody
- WOW license plate
Granted, you might not understand them because you are not familiar with the specifics, but that’s not the key point. It’s what they represent: a snapshot of a moment that produced a smile, if even for a moment, and you take the time to record that moment. The more you write down, the more you start to look for things to write. Your outlook will begin to change, and life will appear brighter. Yes, challenges will arise in life, but your perspective will be different. When a difficult period returns, as it will, you will have trained yourself to seek out moments that brought you joy. Much like a photograph saved on your phone, you can reflect on these positive memories and remind yourself of a pleasant moment.
If you are going through an extended bout of depression, don’t hesitate to reach out and seek help. I’m not suggesting that a notebook is a cure-all. There are times when speaking with a trained counselor can help. In the meantime…
Don’t die. We’ll talk again.