Lens Challenge #19 Magical Light

Ahhh yes, the sweet light…what a wonderful  lens challenge Amy has set for us this week! There’s the magical light of early, early morning. I don’t get see that very often myself. I’m not an early morning riser. Too much of a night owl, I guess.

You shouldn’t discount rainy days. Some of the most magical light, and some of the most stunning images are made on those rainy days, when the light dances with the clouds.

And of course, if not for rain, there wouldn’t be rainbows. Magical light is the very essence of rainbows.

Strong sunlight can be magical, too. I love backlight on flowers, for instance.

But my favorite magical light is early evening. I’ve done blogs about it before. In an Alaskan summer, that sweet light can linger a long time.

In most places though, it only lasts an hour or so before sunset.

The best light of all is alpenglow, the reflection of the sun setting on the landscape that you see when you look east. Sometimes, especially in the mountains and the desert, it’s more impressive than the actual sunset.

But not always.

(I had to make a decision a few years ago – buy a DSLR or build a house. I chose to build the house. But I never let go of the Art of Seeing. Photography feeds my soul, and I can’t give it up. So all these pictures were taken with a high-end point-and-shoot, a Panasonic Lumix DC-FZ80. One of these days I’ll get my hands on a “real” camera again, and the possibilities will be endless.  For me, for now, though, it’s the vision, not the tool.)