Everyone knows that Christmas lights start popping up this time of year, but the real light show is the one caused by the sun as it makes its winter progression south toward the Tropic of Capricorn. The change in declination -- Mother Earth's little shift in front of the big lamp -- turns the world into a giant shadow puppet show this time of year. Starting in August, when shadows start getting longer, and winding up in the long, long shade of the Winter Solstice, the sun offers spectacular mood lighting. Here, a couple of young women waited for the train at Mission Station. They paced back and forth. It was too lovely not to grab my camera.Saturday, November 29, 2008
Spotlight
Everyone knows that Christmas lights start popping up this time of year, but the real light show is the one caused by the sun as it makes its winter progression south toward the Tropic of Capricorn. The change in declination -- Mother Earth's little shift in front of the big lamp -- turns the world into a giant shadow puppet show this time of year. Starting in August, when shadows start getting longer, and winding up in the long, long shade of the Winter Solstice, the sun offers spectacular mood lighting. Here, a couple of young women waited for the train at Mission Station. They paced back and forth. It was too lovely not to grab my camera.
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13 comments:
Your impulse was perfect! We are so dependent on that big white light in the sky.
I love that glow! This is my favorite kind of sunshine :)
Whoa! Now that's some nice light. Glad you grabbed that camera. a shot not to miss. Color is grand too!
V
I'm listening to a jazz version of "Winter Wonderland" and although for some, it is the drifts of snow, I think the beautiful late day California light is equally as inviting and heartwarming. I love the long shadows and the lines created by the bricks and the people's body images replicated on the ground. I think of the woman on the left carrying a gift for someone special, hurrying to her car so she can look at it again, and then wrap it in beautiful gilded paper, to match the sun's rays during her shopping trip. :~)
What a glorious golden picture of an every day scene. Yes, the sun does do magical things this time of year and if there is magic to be found, Laurie will find it. I can't top Judy's imagery. So here's to Laurie and the golden sun, it's golden shadows and Judy's gilded wrapping paper.
Laurie, I just love, love, LOVE this post. Perfect melding of your words and image to create a whole and pique our sense of wonder and appreciation for the light. The leaves filtering it make the sun bearable and so beautiful to behold. We are in Plato's cave looking out.
-Kim
Seattle Daily Photo
Laurie, so often your shots are a symphony of angles. Most of the ones in this shot radiate to or from that tiny star the foliage has made of the sun... but I also like the way the bricks angle toward the woman on the right, as if to divert some of the sun's spotlight to her.
I also love the lavender path that bisects the image at mid-level... and most of all, that enormous, elongated shadow of the shopper on the left. It's as if the sun reflects her as she hopes and dreams to be, or as the heroine she surely is to someone in her life.
This never happens when I shoot into the sun
I'd like to dance there. But somehow, when I jump off the train, I don't think it would look quite this way.
Wow, beautiful! I have to admit, those long shadows are so convincing, this image gives me the impulse to yawn! Man, this time of year makes me such a sleepy bear. Leftover turkey is not helping matters any.
...i was just writing about light and inspiration after being out of action for a bit... that is a beautiful shot and the colours are dreamy! wintery sunlight just makes you wanna be a better person! unfortunately, we have santa ariving on a surfboard here in south africa, the season in summertime, just not the same realy, is it!? i always enjoy your posts and stunning pics! thanx sj
Blogger just ate another one of my comments... arghhh!!!
Rather than try to repeat myself, I'll just say thanks to all my wonderful, inspiring, thoughtful, poetic commenters. You all make it so much fun to keep this blog.
Til tomorrow...
fantastic light capture!
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