On a frigid, chilly February day, Nathan Light ’22, a pitcher for the Virginia Military Institute, could be granted an enigmatic break day as a result of accumulation of snow earlier that morning. Unlike nearly all of athletes, Nathan knew precisely how he was going to spend his break day. In search of one thing inventive that solely the attention of the skilled photographer may seize, he was on the lookout for his mild. Nathan, with the tender crunch of snow and ice below his toes, sounded the launch of one other journey on a path much less traveled. Armed together with his A-7 RD Sony digicam, Nathan continued a journey that started in a Walmart over 10 years in the past.Chasing one dream is tough sufficient for a lot of, and virtually all fail with the conclusion of highschool sports activities. Nathan Light has not solely chased his dream, and is enjoying collegiate baseball at a excessive stage, but additionally has pursued his ardour for pictures which helped him by way of the difficulties of Covid-19.Growing up in Alabama, Nathan tried out a number of sports activities.”I began enjoying soccer, baseball, and basketball,” he mentioned. “Found out rapidly that I’m horrible at basketball. It took me till my freshman 12 months in highschool that I used to be in all probability too small to play soccer, and baseball simply clicked.”On an informal journey to Walmart with Nathan’s mom, they might dealer a deal that remodeled an informal journey to Walmart right into a reminiscence. As he recounted the journey to Walmart, the usually reserved Nathan thawed right into a assured character able to pitch in entrance of any hitter. It was made obvious that it had modified his life.Stumbling throughout a easy two by three-inch digicam value $60, Nathan would ask his mom for it, prompting a easy deal. Knowing that the varsity was holding a e-book problem, his mom instructed a younger Nathan that if he needed the digicam, he wanted to learn three books for the e-book problem, incomes him the $60 he wanted. In return she would generously “cowl the taxes ” Like the begin to most endeavors, the start was rocky. Unsurprisingly, Nathan is glad none of his first photos from that small Walmart digicam exist.”This little two inch by three-inch digicam, I do not suppose any of its photos exist and I’m glad they do not, as a result of they might in all probability discredit something I’ve ever accomplished.”Nathan’s begin could have been rocky, but in center faculty it could solely take a couple of clicks till he rose to the highest of the mountain feeling unstoppable. In eighth grade, Nathan recollects working in Photoshop with a good friend making edits. His work drew the eye of former NFL soccer participant and Auburn’s miracle maker, Nick Marshall.To my information, Nathan has not made his tens of millions but, though the abilities he constructed early in his ardour have continued to serve him nicely. Nathan was positive to inform me that the edits he makes in photoshop change the colour, shading and different facets of sunshine, not the bodily facets of the picture. He doesn’t morph objects within the picture. Instead, he modifies the colour grade of images, creating his personal coloration pallets and making his work very identifiable. “I’m not a photoshopper the place I manipulate my photos, however I’ll take them and I’ll coloration grade them, alter highlights and alter shadows. To give my photos a coloration palette, I’m in a teal and orange section. It’s gone from punchy to low distinction, crushed blacks. It’s not a real black – it is a gray black. Now I’m again to a lot of distinction blue, actually darkish.” Entering VMI was a transparent selection for Nathan, however his time spent at VMI has been nothing type of swimming in mud. Like many at VMI, as a freshman Nathan was introduced down from his mountain prime. Yet, whatever the many challenges he and each different cadet would face as a freshman, Nathan would turn into the Wednesday starter on the mound and proceed together with his ardour. Taking VMI historical past and pictures that 12 months helped him perceive what sort of pictures he enjoys most.After 4 begins as a freshman at VMI, Nathan’s sophomore season would come and go earlier than he had an opportunity to throw a single pitch. As the world went into isolation, put up masks, and tried to change to on-line education as a result of COVID-19 virus, Nathan and his household had been on the transfer. Leaving the city Nathan grew up in for almost all of his life, minus the small stint of time spent in Germany, he and his household moved to a small farm in Virginia.The mud that had left the world spinning their tires for over a 12 months – the Covid-19 shutdown of 2020 – had a drastic impact on Nathan, and it wasn’t lengthy earlier than he felt as if the animals on the farm had been speaking to him.”Spring is baseball, summer season is summer season ball, so when that goes away, it is devastating,” he mentioned. “What do you do within the spring once you’re not enjoying baseball?”In mild of all of the darkness that coated the world in the course of the pandemic, Nathan leaned on his ardour and solely bought higher with every snap of the lens.For Nathan, pictures has turn into “a decompressing factor” that enormously helped him throughout his time in isolation.”Being locked up in a home with all this land to stroll round, I actually would stroll out the door and take photos of absolutely anything.”Leaning on pictures in the course of the pandemic, Nathan used his images to precise how he was feeling.”Me and my siblings are all actually introverted,” he mentioned. “It’s higher to be behind the digicam and canopy up my face.”Taking images allowed Nathan to precise a special a part of himself that’s usually suppressed in his each day life. He defined it as a special a part of his mind.”Having pictures is form of like my inventive expression,” he mentioned. “A variety of my pictures is my inventive pictures. Not my exit, take photos of soccer stadiums or take photos of a baseball sport. My inventive pictures has loads of self-expression. This is how I really feel in a sure second, that is how I view myself in the meanwhile, that is how I see the world. Baseball is the extra analytical facet. Where it is like, “So what? Move on,” pictures balances that out. It’s okay to be extra expressive or weak.”Comparing this to baseball, it was obvious for him that baseball and pictures have two completely different roles in his life. Photography has turn into a extra stress-free motion and discovering a brand new lens to view issues by way of. Compared to baseball, which is a extra common feeling, in a standard baseball sport there are specific components which are at all times going to be there. “It’s a discovery factor,” Light mentioned. “I do not know what I’m on the lookout for but. I do not know what I’m on the lookout for after which, oh, that is what I would like, so then you definately spend half-hour making an attempt to arrange a shot and then you definately get it and also you hope it seems good.”He mentioned the 2 each have the identical component of unknown. In pictures, discovering one thing can occur at any second and with baseball there isn’t any telling how an inning will end up.”Every time you exit to pitch, you realize what you wish to occur, however there’s at all times one thing that occurs that makes that outing memorable. You do not know what to anticipate, however when it occurs it is like, “This is why I like this.”With his A-7 RD Sony digicam in hand, Nathan escaped the sleepy barracks excited for his subsequent journey. Trudging by way of the snow cautious to not get damage on his break day, Nathan was trying to find a brand new supply of sunshine. Finally discovering the sunshine on the finish of a tunnel.
By Cadet Declan Franklin ’23
The photos all through the physique of this story are a compilation of the pictures supplied by Nathan Light ’22
https://vmikeydets.com/news/2022/5/20/athletics-finding-light.aspx
Finding Light – Virginia Military Institute
