June 11, 2014

The Condition of Light

Without light, we wouldn't see anything--but without darkness, what would the light play with?

Intricate lamp in the Sultan's Tent
It's the combinations between light and dark that make a compelling composition. Infinite possibilities emerge from different weather conditions, the time of day and the time of the year. Changes happen in the sun's angle, intensity and colour.

Haunted chandelier in Balzac's, The Distillery
Recently, I've noticed many intriguing indoor lights from elaborate lamps casting their shadows onto different surfaces.

Shiny reflections give the fabric canopy more depth...

Hanging chandelier in the Sultan's Tent
Shadows sliced onto walls and ceilings...

Stairwell chandelier at the Gladstone Hotel
Shadows bend and elongate into layered tones...

Wall lamp at Verity
Now imagine how light and dark play outdoors...

  • The last glimmer of sun just before it sets behind the ocean's horizon. 
  • Light slanting through a wooden fence, painting white lines across your face. 
  • A canopy of leaves waving in the wind, casting dancing spots of light and shadow on the ground. 

What have you seen when the condition of light made the memory worth remembering? Please comment below!

6 comments:

  1. Wow - the pictures are so simple and yet so brilliant. I have no photographic eye, but have seen some visually stunning work online...latest one was a simple picture of the reflection of a bicycle tire next to a coffee cup...something about the shadow of the tire drew me in (as difficult as it is to describe, it made an impact on me).

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    1. It's worth remembering if you can still visualize it so clearly!

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  2. This is amazing! The colors are so warm and inviting. I have been working on my photography and lighting changes everything. Every outside hour changes what you see so much. Thanks for sharing the beauty!

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    1. Thank you Melissa! It's true, you can really see drastic changes in natural light every hour--I've noticed this when trying to shoot product on a white background :)

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  3. Anonymous5:52 am

    Hey Pam, Love your play with light and textures as that light is either reflected or absorbed by the various backdrops, creating creative shadows and intriguing images...one of my fondest memories of light was when I went to the Sapporo Winter Festival and another one in Kyoto - Japan has a way of colourfully lighting up nature in a way that is both dreamlike and spellbounding...at the Winter Festival, the white snow at night just came to life as colourful snow sculptures were lit up in primary and secondary colours. Likewise a shrine in Kyoto - its trees and surrounding nature was lit up to accentuate its natural beauty as if the moon's light was able to reach every part of the garden. Light at night is intriguing and eerie all at once; I always get a sense of loneliness, stillness and silence at night, that isn't true of daytime light. s.

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  4. Thank you for that beautiful description of Japanese night lighting. Sounds like a perfectly good reason for us to go back to Japan!

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