The host of this week’s Lens-Artists Challenge, Tina Schell, couldn’t have made a more profound statement for photographers at any level: it really is all about the light.
To love beauty is to see light.
Victor Hugo
Whether it’s soft, early morning light or rays turning everything gold just before sundown, light transforms ordinary objects into studies in contrast, all in a matter of moments.
Consider these photos taken in Apalachicola, Florida, one early spring afternoon. Near downtown, these old buildings — once thriving destinations for conducting business or serving vacationers — are now hauntingly deserted, but still magically aglow at sundown.
Further away from downtown Apalachicola, shrimp boats at Mill Pond stand waiting for another longed-for run into blue waters.
For those who love authenticity, antiquities, and relics of another time, it just doesn’t get any better than these working boats in Apalachicola — a real find for photographers and boat lovers of all ages.
It’s that interplay of light and shadow that bring these boats to life. Or make you do a double take as you notice some items receding into shadows while others pop out, awash in afternoon light.
After staring at the long row of boats, we became enamored with how light played on useful objects — like these coils of rope and cable ready to be tossed out into deep waters. But in their relaxed state, they’re almost art forms.
Sunsets are proof that endings can often be beautiful too.
Beau Taplin
Perhaps it’s too much to say this mariner’s “at the end of his rope,” but what else would be appropriate for a day on the water, away from everyone and everything, doing what you do best? Definitely a good end to a good day.
And, of course, it’s all about the light!
For more examples of how light impacts photos, check out Tina’s blog, Travels and Trifles. If you want to add a post of your own, be sure to add the tag Lens-Artists at the end.
Enjoy the light!
Rusha & Bert