Lily Elif - Wild & Free [Greensboro, NC Photographer]
My alarm buzzed at 4:00 AM. There in the floor lay my hiking boots. In my thirteen years of photography, I’d never had anyone take me up on the offer to shoot at sunrise. It’s an early wakeup call when the sky’s still threaded with stars and the world is sound asleep. To me, watching the night sky transcend to a cloudburst and color palette of a new day is powerful. It is Holy. It makes Heaven and Earth, even if but a handful of minutes, feel merged. It makes something stir in my soul. A week prior, I sent Lily the same text I did to anyone else for portrait options. We’d planned to shoot somewhere in the enfolds of nature, and thought a mountaintop would be super epic. We could shoot in the evening haze near sunset, or we could chase the sunrise. But, it would require an early wakeup call, some strategic preplanning, and getting on the road shortly after our 4 AM wakeup call. She enthusiastically opted for chasing the sunrise. When we left for our senior portrait mountain adventure, there was still a full moon. Whatever unfolded, I knew it would be magical. Lily is the kind of person who reminds me of the beauty of staying present, holding expectations loosely, and experiencing life’s glories in whatever unfolds.
There are all sorts of different people in the world. There are those who you meet in passing, share a brief conversation or some polite words with, and then go about your day, never seeing them again. There are others who you engage with for several minutes more, maybe even a couple hours, and perhaps trade phone numbers. Some become friends. Some remain a moment passed in time. And some walk into a room, and it’s as if the light in them illuminates throughout their every step and interaction. Some you share a few words with, and in those few words, it’s as if you share a brain, live on the same wavelength, and feel like they viscerally, spiritually understand exactly who you are and your own human experience. Some are kindred spirits. My thoughts often feel as chicken scratched as my journal pages in how I speak to them, and it baffles me when someone genuinely tracks along.
That is Lily.
Her middle name, Elif (derived from her family’s Turkish roots) translates as “The girl who spreads light". I couldn’t think of more fitting words than what’s quite literally in her own name. I’ve had the delight of knowing this brilliant young woman since November, when we met at a dinner one of our ballroom studios hosted. I was shocked when I learned she was only seventeen. She spoke with the wisdom of a philosopher, the abstract beauty of an artist, and the eloquence of someone who had seen at least seventy years of life. There was a warmth and ease in how she connected; a confidence that didn’t have to prove itself. We shared a zeal for writing and philosophical poetry, ballroom dancing (obviously!), art that makes you feel something and contemplate life a little deeper, anthropology and life abroad, and of course, the great outdoors and its splendor. We’d happen to show up at the studio at the same time, happen to be wearing nearly identical clothing (I have photographic proof of this), happened to land at the same live jazz event on New Year’s Eve, and I laughed to myself upon finding out of her Turkish heritage…and her learning I spent 3.5 months in Turkey. What are the odds? Lily’s joy is contagious and being around her makes you crave the purity of life and its simple yet profound beauties. Luna from Harry Potter is her doppelgänger. Hands down. Talking to her is a gift in and of itself.
As we drove down the moonlit highway to chase the sunrise, piano music in the background, I told her she really needed to write a book. I still don’t know how she was so lively for having slept under three hours. She apparently stayed up until 1 AM to make muffins for a 4 AM drive. We arrived to the parkway in plenty of time before the first peek of light, only to find the gates closed. I was determined to find a place off the road or nearby to park the car, even if it meant taking a mini hike to our actual hike. Nothing. Our entire game plan of photographing her during a hike as the sun rose over a mountaintop was off the table. Most people would allow that mishap to ruin their entire day…but not Lily.
“Wherever we go and no matter where we catch the sunrise, even if it’s the side of the road somewhere, joy and freedom can still be felt!”
We found a nearby park, and guess what? The gates were closed. But that didn’t stop us. We parked at a vacated car wash nearby and hopped over the gate. At first sight, it seemed a rinky little park in the middle of nowheresville…definitely not as glorious as a mountaintop. We kept walking. Nestled within it was a river and sandy beaches scattered throughout. Suddenly, it was as if we were in Narnia itself. There was this distinct moment where we stopped in a brief trance of sorts; captivated by the burst of color seeping through the trees and illuminating the early morning sky. Everything was green and gold. It was as if the world was painted just for Lily. It felt like Heaven met Earth, and as Lily ran wild and free - barefoot in the river, yoga and cartwheels in the grass, hugging oak trees, and savoring the first of the morning light on the rocks - it was like watching a living, breathing metaphor of freedom itself. As we sat on the rocks, feet dipped in the river, I checked the time. I asked Lily if she wanted to climb a mountain, as we originally planned. I did not want her to be disappointed. She smiled with the deepest sense of ease and delight,
“We had that mountain experience right here.”
Beauty is everywhere. We need not traipse across the country or the Atlantic or spend thousands of dollars on airfare to find it. Look up. Look in front. Look within. Beauty is there; tucked away in every crevice and corner. We just have to seek it. And just as it’s said that when we seek God, we will find Him…so it goes with beauty. We just need to look. May our eyes be open.
Dear Lily Elif,
Indeed, you spread light to those around you. May your next venture to Costa Rica to teach English, teach yoga, and most importantly, teach the gift that is admiring and appreciating what’s right in front of you, as you’ve taught me…be immensely blessed beyond what your mind can even fathom. May you forever see life through the purity of childlike eyes. May beauty follow you. And may you continue to find it.
