As the northern hemisphere heads towards the fall equinox, and as Victoria moves towards winter's greyer skies, I've been thinking about light, and all the various ways that light moves and shapes us. In this post I'm looking at light, from a few "random" perspectiives.
When the Light is Right
Photographers depend on the right light, and I've known those that have waited for hours for the light to be "just right". I am more a photographer of opportunity, so the images in this post are those that I happened upon in a magical moment when the light was favorable.
And sometimes, light does create a magical moment or two. Here are a few images...
 |
| Light in the southeast over the Strait of Juan de Fuca as the sun sets early on a winter afternoon |
 |
| Sunrise over Juan de Fuca Strait |
 |
| January sunset from our apartment, with the sun setting far to the south! |
Although cruise ships are not for me, and the cruise ship industry is blamed for a host of environmental ills, they do have a way of creating an illusory world, as the photo below shows.
 |
| Cruise ship at Ogden Point |
Mood and Light
Light cheers us up; how often have we noticed this in our own spaces, that there is a buoyancy to a room with light? I noticed this recently, after a day when I was feeling down about a host of planetary challenges. I went for an evening walk, and was greeted with the scene in the photo below.
 |
| The setting sun created these long shadows with their interesting patterns, with the partial rainbow in the distance. After a day of feeling gloomy, I felt the message of the rainbow. |
It's not often that I post images of high rises, but with the theme of light and mood, the next two images speaks to me of airiness.
 |
| This downtown Victoria office building seems to be all about sky and light. |
 |
| Upper Harbour Place in Vic West. The elegant turquoise hues of the glass capture light and sky. |
Illuminating the Details
Artists need light to produce their work, and we need the light to appreciate their efforts, and the detail that went into producing it..
 |
| Late afternoon light illuminates stonework details of the BC Legislature. I enjoyed the way the bare branches of the tree were reflected in the building's window glass. |
Light can reveal details -- details that we might otherwise miss.
 |
| The long rays of the sun illuminated several details of this building's features -- the bay windows on each floor, the metal rails of the balconies, and the rhythmic pattern of the fire escape ladders. |
 |
| These doors on the Legislature are normally unobtrusive, but the setting sun illuminated them indirectly, as well as the attractive terra cotta colours of the tile. |
 |
| Light helps this business stand out, with its extensive glass exterior, and the attractive tone of blue complementing the well chosen orange tables and chairs. |
Light transforms the ordinary into memorable.
 |
| Light catching the flowers of a spurge plant, and showing the detail of each flower. Some spurges are invasive; I believe this one is Myrtle Spurge which seems to be very hardy, possibly to the point of an invasive plant. I've seen it growing out of the sidewalk, in the tiny crack between a power pole and the sidewalk concrete. |
 |
| The light illuminating the figure's face, and the colourful hanging paper balloons, helps make this image interesting. |
Nature and Light
We depend on the sun, and light, for our survival, and the survival of all flora and fauna.
 |
| A natural area in the interior of BC |
 |
| A xeriscaped Victoria garden along south-facing Dallas Road |
 |
| Arbutus tree, Victoria |
When water and light are abundant, nature thrives.
 |
| A snippet of rich and verdant growth in Beacon Hill Park |
 |
| Light illuminates the seedheads of these landscape onion plants |
Photography and Light
And light is essential for the photographer, who depends on it to "highlight" and shape what we photograph. This point becomes vivid when a photograph is viewed in black and white and shades of grey.
Here is the arbutus tree shown earlier in colour, now in black and white.
 |
| Black and white version of the arbutus tree shown earlier. |
Sometimes because colour can by so "eye-popping", we don't know about light levels and contrast within a photograph until it's been converted to black and white.
Here is one more earlier photo, converted to black and white:
 |
| Colour photography allows the photographer to be less demanding of light in the image. The colours of the balloon fade into the background when the image is seen in its black and white version. |
 |
| Light illuminating fungi growing on a dead log. |
 |
| Black and white version of the above photo, showing the levels of contrast in light. |
Playing with Light
Residents of northern countries with long winters know what it's like to miss the light. Since I've lived in James Bay there's been a "Window Wanderland" project each winter, celebrating the light that we create within our own homes, and shining images onto the streets for our neighbours.
 |
| This is a window from the February James Bay "Window Wanderland". Residents were invited to decorate their windows, which they then illuminated from behind with the light of a room. Maps of all who had registered were available from the Community School, and over two nights, residents could "wander" the streets, enjoy the dark night, and the warmth of lit up windows. |
 |
| Another Window Wanderland window. |
 |
| And one more window from Window Wanderland. |
Exploring and playing with all the aspects of light has reminded me of the Robert Louis Stevenson poem "My Shadow", which I enjoyed both as a child, and as a parent.
My Shadow by Robert Louis Stevenson
I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me,
And what can be the use of him is more than I can see.
He is very, very like me from the heels up to the head;
And I see him jump before me, when I jump into my bed.
The funniest thing about him is the way he likes to grow—
Not at all like proper children, which is always very slow;
For he sometimes shoots up taller like an india-rubber ball,
And he sometimes gets so little that there's none of him at all.
He hasn't got a notion of how children ought to play,
And can only make a fool of me in every sort of way.
He stays so close beside me, he's a coward you can see;
I'd think shame to stick to nursie as that shadow sticks to me!
One morning, very early, before the sun was up,
I rose and found the shining dew on every buttercup;
But my lazy little shadow, like an arrant sleepy-head,
Had stayed at home behind me and was fast asleep in bed.
 |
| Your blogger's shadow |
Using Light for Energy
I will finish my brief tour of light with a stop at the role of the sun's light for energy: solar power.
It's hard to capture images of many solar installations, since they are mostly above the view of my lens. For example, the Capital Park development, which I've featured in this blog before, has 251 solar panels on the rooftops of two office buildings, but most of them are barely visible.
But here's one solar installation I was able to capture:
 |
| House on Moss Street in Fairfield |
New buildings in Victoria often have solar arrays on their roofs; let's have more at the level of the individual home! One website I consulted suggests Victoria has 2,200 hours of sun on average in a year.
 |
| Average monthly sunhours in Victoria. Source: https://weather-and-climate.com/average-monthly-hours-Sunshine,victoria,Canada |
Opening and Closing the Day
Greeting the light in the morning, and saying farewell at night: two of the most common images in photographs. Here is a recent shot from a morning walk.
 |
| Sunrise, Juan de Fuca Strait |
And I will finish this tribute to light with a photo of the setting sun from a few months ago.
 |
| A zoom in on the setting sun, with a halo of light. |
