There’s a reason why today's better cameras give us precision autofocus tracking, not just on the face in general, but smack dab on the eyes. They do that because when we look at a photograph of a person, our gaze is drawn directly to the proverbial windows of the soul.
What is it about eyes that attracts us to them like a moth to flame?
On the stairway wall leading to the second floor of our house, we've displayed four generations of family portraits dating back to the early 20th century. The other day I paused as I was going down the stairs and I looked carefully into the eyes of each person. I saw the unique personality of each parent, grandparent, great-grandparent and child shining through and I felt their presence strongly, even though many of them are now long gone.
The Hindu yogi Paramahansa Yogananda knew eyes to be trustworthy messengers, conveying our inner essence to the world more clearly than words ever could.
Yogananda said, “Let my soul smile through my heart and my heart smile through my eyes …”
Over the years, photography has given me a deeper appreciation for the luminous, wondrous presence of eyes. For that gift, my heart smiles.
Photographer’s Footnote: The blue color cast in this photo was intentional. I was showing my curious six-year-old granddaughter how we can change the color of light in a photograph by placing color gels over a flash. For this picture, I fired a bounced flash through a blue gel as she peered through two other gels.