I Found the Light

Over the past few months, I took another course.Seems like I’ve been learning quite a bit lately.This time—it was a studio photography course at Studio Gavra.

Today was our final class, and we were asked to share what we learned, alongside our favorite photos from the course.

What did I learn?

I learned how to see the light.Where it shines.Where it fades.Where it wants to go.And where it hasn’t quite landed—yet.

In a way, I felt like I was training my own eyes to see myself more clearly, just as much as I was learning to photograph others.

The photos I chose to present were mostly in "high key" and "low key" lighting.I didn’t realize it right away, but when I stood up in class and explained why I had chosen them, it clicked:The answer was focus.

Focus on the light.

Focus on the light within the person I’m photographing.

Because that's what I love most is photographing people.

There was a time I didn’t enjoy studio photography.

It felt sterile. Empty. Like it stripped away the essence of a person.

I thought: how can I capture someone’s spirit without the context, without their surroundings?

But now, I see it differently.

Now, I want the clean space.

Now, I want to see just the person—without the extras, the clutter, the background noise.

Because I used to need those things around me too… just to complete the picture of myself for myself.

But today?

I choose to focus—intentionally—on the inside.

On the face. On the truth. On the story behind the eyes.

I shared with the class how my focus has become incredibly sharp lately—how what I care about most is the subject’s story.

Where do I want to place the light, so that it reveals their essence?

And here’s what I really discovered in this course:

That’s all I want to do.

Not just in photography—but in life.

I want to place the light exactly where it flatters the person in front of me.

I want to show them their own glow.

And I realized…

My focus is sharper now.

More minimal. More honest.

And yes—maybe more spiritual too.

I found the light.

(LOL, could I be any more woo-woo? Hopefully not—I really gave it my all.)

But also—I found peace.

In the photos I took.

In the clarity that comes from really seeing others.

Mostly because, finally, I’m really seeing myself.

I’m deeply grateful for this studio course.

It showed me the light. (And the flash 😉)

Thank you to the radiant Maya Hofman and Itzik Raz for guiding the way.