Depth of field

Some big things were spoken at a meeting with the boys tonight, and there are some thoughts I'd like to capture, and maybe delve a bit further into. I mean, I'd like to capture all of them, but it's a bit too much to share, and I probably can't relay those thoughts intelligibly right now.

But what if 'the world' does not exist? Most of us experience this physical state of existence through 5 senses, and that is our perception of the world; or, in other words, that is our world. But the colour red itself does not do anything, neither does the scent of a rose, the taste of honey, except what you make of it. It's the meaning you give it. It's your perspective.

And so with perspective, you deem your pillow comfortable, you call the sound of waves crashing against the cliff serene.

What if you bought a new TV one day, brought it home, only to receive a message that a good friend of yours had just died in an accident. Suddenly, the TV that you'd been so excited about becomes invisible, and the intangible thoughts, memories, love become so much more real. According to your perspective, certain things have more meaning than others.

Depth of field is a crucial part of optics, especially so in photography. Quite simply, when you look through a lens, only a section of the image a certain distance away (called the focal length) from the lens will be clear, while everything in front of or behind will be blurred. Here's an example of some tangerines:



Anything at the distance where the tangerines are from the camera is sharp, while everything else is blur. The section of the image that is in focus is called the depth of field. A wider depth of field is simply a wider section of focus, e.g.: I can see the whole table instead of just the tangerines.

And so with an SLR, when you adjust the 'focus', or your camera auto-focuses, you are adjusting the focal length. The depth of field itself, however, is adjusted by the aperture. A smaller aperture corresponds to a larger f number, and a larger f number corresponds to a wider depth of field. But the 'focus' will also have an impact on the DOF. When the lens is set to the hyperfocal distance (max focal length setting for the given f number setting), the DOF will range from half the hyperfocal distance to infinity. Meaning, you'll see lots of stuff clearly.

And so if a tried to draw an analogy of perspective as being your current depth of field, what would you see?

What did Christ see?

What does God want us to see?
Check out Hebrews 12:

1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

3Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

In my life, I guess certain things have been set in motion, and the trajectory of this path I'm currently on will take me through optometry as a vocation. The choice to enter the field of optometry is largely driven by my passion for finding vision. But I guess this is something I'll have to share about another time, when I've found more clarity. Or my depth of field is adjusted.

Love,
Chris.



P/S. I thought I'd leave you with the message translation of Hebrews 12:1-3.

Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we'd better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!

Intense huh?