let the light in
Sunday, October 31, 2010 by alexdesouza 
When I shot this polaroid the other day, I knew the sun was just outside frame and that I could end up with an overly blown out image. But still, I went for it and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. The flare ultimately helped me capture the emotion I felt that afternoon, which was the ease and warmth of a nice 20 minute vacation while my baby girl napped in the stroller.
Lens flare by definition, is an imperfection. A flare is an artifact caused by a bright light source in the image or shining into the lens. It usually occurs when we shoot into the sun or when the sun is just outside the frame. However, there are times when flares are used deliberately, for the sole purpose of adding drama, energy and realism to the shot. Hmm.
This image I shot and the whole concept behind flares got me wondering if we can also accept our imperfections as special traits that add realness and uniqueness to our personalities. Can we let the "light" into our lives by accepting our flaws and embracing our unexpected magic?
Today, in celebration of light, flares and imperfections, share with us those images in which you let the light in. Where the lack of contrast made up for more softness... Where lens flares, streaks and dots revealed dreamy, unworldly and otherwise unknown perfection.
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