Hope Jackson – Encased in Darkness

The participant I chose for my Photovoice project is a friend from my home town, Christopher Ponce de Leon (18 Male). He has been my best friend for a few years now, and we even went on a trip to Portugal this summer together. He has lived in Wallingford, Connecticut his whole life, which is where I am from. His three pictures and descriptions are included below:

“The trees are symbolic of the changing times in my life. As we go further into the year they show how the wildlife and nature whittles away while the weather grows colder. It reminds me of my own social life becoming more and more distant as school’s burdensome responsibilities grow during this time of the year. The anxiousness and stress couple with the coldness of life leaves a bitter feeling inside of me. However, with winter on the horizon I am hopeful that life will become a bit brighter with the coming snowfall and school break.” -Christopher.

The dreariness of New England during winter is a force to be reckoned with. Chris seems to feel this too, as the changing weather reminds him of the upcoming finals season and the accompanying stress. The leafless trees bring a sense of dread and sadness to reflect our inner feelings that are heightened by seasonal depression. Chris still maintains hope for the future with the possibility of snowfall and a white winter. The only upside to the sad trees is that the air now holds the bite needed to coat the land in powder.

“The Christmas lights hold a joyful tone in the looming darkness as nothing else is shining but these simplistic decorations. Just seeing them brings me quite a bit of happiness that warms my heart because it shows how even in the darkest of times there is still some semblance of hope that can shine through.”-Christopher.

Now that the days are significantly shortened, it can put quite a damper on our attitude. Chris still find a bit of hope and happiness in the darkness with the Christmas lights. Although they are simple and quite unassuming, they can remind us of simpler times and remind us of the beauty and meaning in life that can be found even in the cold darkness.

“The moon captures such a bright heavenly light even when it’s arrival means that the world is shrouded in darkness. It evokes a feeling of calm serenity within my own heart like nothing else. It brings you peace with the world and all of life’s difficult problems. The moonlight dances atop of you while you hear and see nothing but the dusk.” -Christopher.

The moon is the brightest light in the night sky. Chris mentions that it is the thing in nature that brings him the most inner peace and reflection over what is important in his life. Perhaps this is because of the unchanging nature of the moon. He and I discussed that although it has phases (as does our life) you can be assured that it is still there, sitting quietly, waiting for it’s moment to shine. Even when it seems like the world is only dark, as with a new moon, only a day or two later it rears its head again to poke through the layer of clouds above us. The moon reflects other’s beauty, and we can only hope it shows us our own. Chris is generally saddened by the current weather up North, but moments like these bring him a sense of peace of eerie beauty.

An overarching theme within these pictures and explanations is finding beauty where it might be difficult: being optimistic for snow even though the trees lose their life, finding joy at the simple Christmas lights despite the enshrouding darkness, finding hope and peace in the moon while the rest of the world remains dark. As the days shorten and it becomes harder to get out of bed into the cold morning, it can be hard to remember to take time to appreciate the simple things in life. Chris is able to find meaning in the mundane and common, turning them into something greater and emotional for himself. The little things in our environment can shape us more than we are aware, and taking the time to notice this can help us improve ourselves.

To expand upon this project, one reading from class that can relate to this theme is “Walking Through Polluted Paradise” by Camila Nicholls. Nicholls was able to find beauty in the grotesque photography of Alejandro Duran, and how he turns pollution into something greater and sadly picturesque. Relating this to Chris’ observations, both point out bigger issues like pollution or seasonal mood changes and capture it in rather beautiful ways. The difference is in the nature of the photography. Duran’s is built out of a sense of hopelessness and desperation, while Chris’ is out of hope and optimism despite the harrowing circumstance.