Introduction

Welcome to the introductory post of my new blog -- Lux Prima Diei. I'm guessing your first question will be, "What does your blog title mean?" It's Latin for first light of day. While the Latin phrase prima luce is probably a simpler and more elegant way of saying "dawn," I was beaten by several other bloggers who used that particular wording first. So you get my clumsy translation instead. Sorry about that!

So what is the purpose of this blog? It's probably just going to be an outlet for me to ruminate on my interests and hobbies -- photography, running, music, etc. -- or just on life in general. I successfully completed a self portrait 366 project last year (a self portrait every day for a whole leap year). During the course of that project, I noted that putting my thoughts down in ink (or electrons as the case may be) really helped clarify my thinking. Doing so in a public forum (which wasn't always easy) also netted me a wealth of sagacity from my virtual audience. While I entertained the thought of engaging in another photographic project to the same end, I decided that in this instance I'd rather have the emphasis on my words rather than the images I create. A blog seemed like an ideal outlet for that.

The blog title has become something of a personal philosophy for me. As a photographer, I crave the beautiful light that sunrise and sunset bring. Photographers know this time as the blue hour (the hour before sunrise and the hour after sunset) and the golden hour (the hour after sunrise and the hour before sunset). I've always been inclined to be more of a morning person, so I focus a bit more on lux prima diei. Along with the aesthetic benefits for the photographer, the idea of the first light of day also carries a connotation of hope for me. Every day is a new beginning. No matter how sour the previous day turned, the sun will rise again and bring with it the promise of a new beginning.

So I welcome you to the paradox that is my blog. A continuing journey of new days. I look forward to all of your thoughts as I head down this path and hope that you can be as illuminated as I hope to be.

~Chris