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Alexandra Bingham

Light Upon the Waters

Photo of waves

Submitter Statement:

My entry expresses how my BYU experience has helped me spread my unique beacon of light, in both my community and around the world, through what the image depicts- waves. In Genesis this phenomenon relates to God, “and the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters” (Genesis 1:2). When I took this image, I had finished a very difficult semester. Early 4am practices combined with late nights of studying and work left me feeling exhausted. I remember saying a little prayer after the semester ended to ask for peace and rest- not expecting much. At times, like the scripture above, the darkness and void are quiet overwhelming. But as I looked up, I saw God in the light reflecting off of the waters from the waves. The light on the water revealed a different kind of beacon, a gentler and easy to overlook way. It was a reminder that even subtle light can be divine. My BYU experience has helped me learn that I spread my light in a unique way, through my talents, especially through photography. I have traveled the world and my favorite way to share my light with others is through capturing photos of those I meet, aiming to reflect not always what I see but the emotion of the moment. This way of viewing the light reflect off the water is not the usual way of thinking of a beacon of light but that is what makes this special, in fact, divine. God, too, chose to move up on the face of the waters and I hope to continue to share my beacon of light in the same subtle way- in waves.

Entry Description: 

“And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters” (Genesis 1:2). This image was taken in broad daylight with low exposure solely focusing on the light on the waters. It is a reminder that even subtle light can be divine. Dimensions: 4:5. Materials: iphone 14 pro with settings at 168mm, ISO 25, f2.8, 1/3650s.