Into the Light

Light is the essential medium of perception. Our eyes bring form to light while our mind lends it meaning. The camera and the photographer likewise draw upon the same waves of energy to materialize some content from their experience.

We all, as humans, are energy bound in physical form, perceived to ourselves through senses derived from our physical world. There is of course another level to our being which eludes the physical senses, a level more of the spirit which defines this perception than of the form which appears to contain it.

We begin to touch this realm through our emotions, where messages from the soul are translated and make themselves known through subtle impressions in our consciousness. For me the soul emanates its truest form much as rays of light, which our eyes alone do not see, emanate heat, which our body can feel.

Light forms an image for my eyes and illuminates the soul. This is what I see when I look at men through the medium of my art. My focus has been on the quiet inner spirit of men and the intense beauty of sexual energy which emanates from their bodies when their souls are revealed. I capture the body and soul together because they are both, for me, essentially and inseparable, tangible and divine.

The joy or our being and sharing of joy are the gifts of our humanity. Whether male or female, gay or straight, regardless of age, race, or creed, we are creatures of passion always at the level from which our inner light shines. Light Embodied is a visual journal of the emotional experiences and passions in my life, and is dedicated to the light of passion in us all.

Chuck Smith