Light and life

I'm Amala, a first-year at Bryn Mawr, I decided that I'd go with the same username I tend to use everywhere because it's what I remember best and most people recognize me by, but for my avatar, I chose a picture of a butterfly I took on a visit to a tea plantation in India. I was originally going to choose a turtle because I find myself often wishing I had the ability to retract into a shell like a turtle, but I found the photo I took of the butterfly more apt. Moments before I took this photo, my friend had found the butterfly and thought it was dead. She brought it to me on a piece of paper because she knew I would probably want to take a photo of it even though it was dead. I gently placed it into another friend's hand and asked someone else to cup their hand to create a sense of warmth. My photo idea of creating a "sense of warmth" ended up creating actual warmth and for a moment, the butterfly fluttered it's wings. To me, that fleeting moment of life depicted how various forms of affection and 'warmth' can push people through just a little more. I've also always found that I appreciate nature even more when I have my camera with me because I tend to take more note of the little details - the moss growing on the tree or the beetle climbing the vine - everything seems more important and present. Overall, the photo of the butterfly is important to me because it represents two things I appreciate and find always calm my nerves - photography and nature.