PHOTO: Hopeman Beach, Scotland

 


This is a photo of Hopeman beach in the highlands of Scotland.

I was inspired by the contrast between "heaven and earth", and how the light from the setting sun radiates upwards into the infinite expanse of the sky. I deliberately tried to capture a bird in the frame.

For me the image symbolizes how the earth - humanity - is illuminated by the light of heaven, and how heaven is filled with the immense brightness yet gentle radiance of God. The bird symbolizes the free soul - liberated from earth - as it soars in the heavens.

The photo cannot bring the sense of awe I felt when capturing the image. I was standing atop a hill overlooking the sea while the expanse of the blue sky stretched out high above me. It was a moment where I felt acutely small - tiny - yet an integral part of the vast universe. It was a most humbling and moving experience that has stuck with me for well over fifteen years, and will remain embedded in my consciousness for the rest of my life.

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Image: Hopeman Beach, Moray, Scotland. Copyright - Michael Beaton

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