Older, but no wiser

I’d completely forgotten about this photo. I came across it yesterday whilst looking through some old slides for something else; it dates back nearly 40 years, to 1968 when I was just 13 and on holiday in North Wales.

I have no recollection of the location or of the photograph itself; nonetheless, I felt a shock of recognition when I placed the slide on the light box. I probably haven’t seen this shot for over 30 years, yet it undoubtedly formed the archetype for an image that has stayed in my mind and cropped up at several critical points over the years.

You see, it represents possibility, new horizons, adventure, hope, expectation, excitement, setting out for something new, a vision of a distant shore. Here we’re in darkness, but out there the sun picks out a way to a new world. At risk of becoming too wrapped up in the imagery, I might even say all we have to do is follow the light.

How curious that I should uncover it now…


Cropping is definately habit forming. Another version of this is on Flickr