Another one of my favorite things to photograph is light; or should I say, how light hits and illuminates places and things.  Light is something that can take me back; back in my mind; I’ll look at the way the light is in the trees and it will remind me of a very specific memory.  This has happened to me numerous times.  One day a few years ago, the lighting in the trees brought me back to a memory of going to a birthday party as a little girl.  I can picture myself wearing a pretty dress and those ankle socks with lace. I can clearly picture the house where the party was, although I have no idea where it was, or whose home it was.  I can still picture the house and the memory, and it was years ago that I was reminded of it. Another time while traveling in Europe during my college years, I turned a corner and looked in the sky and had this strong feeling that I had been there before; yet it was my first time to Europe.  Perhaps a past life?  Not sure I believe in past lives so maybe the lighting just reminded me of a memory that I couldn’t quite call up.

Talking about memories makes me think of something else I always wonder about.  When I read a novel, I have a picture in my mind of each location or room that is discussed in the book.  I don’t consciously think of these while reading but they just pop into my head and I have to concentrate to figure out exactly what the image is.  Where do these visual concoctions come from?  Sometimes I don’t know where the room/location is, yet it is clearly vivid when I read the book.  Does that happen to anyone else?