The most beautiful light

[Daniela]

As I was waiting for a bus today in the afternoon I had a good 15 mins to admire the beautiful fall light. I think fall and winter light over here is the most beautiful and delicate there is. There's a lot of warmth and softness to it; and since most trees still have leaves on them, they provide an added layer of texture to how the light reaches the ground, buildings, people, etc.

It also reminded me of the incredible experience during the total solar eclipse in 2017. I was in IL at the time. That was a complete sensory experience, but what I'll remember the most is the beautiful light changes and how the whole nature preserve and lake next to me seemed to glow in the darkest phase of the eclipse. Add the sudden quietness of wildlife and drop in temperature and wow, what a glorious couple of minutes...

What have you found to be the most beautiful light? Have you had any particular experiences that stuck with you? Is there any particular place or season that seems to have the best light? And, if you were able to photograph it, were you able to translate it into a print?

Mods: if there's a better section for this post, feel free to move

 

[DWThomas]

Well, I suppose beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but one of my memorable experiences was a near-winter visit to some areas normally only seen during my summer travels. My Faire Spouse and I spent a few days enjoying Thanksgiving weekend in a lodge in Shenandoah National Park in western Virginia. I took my Bronica along Skyline Drive through wooded mountain tops at about 3000 feet and the atmosphere was about as clear as it ever gets. The leaves were off the trees so one could see a lot of rock in addition to trees and sky. At mid-afternoon the light was strong and angled, seriously dramatic.

That produced, among others, this (which is in my gallery here):

Mysterious Path

 

[GregY]

Daniela, I think, there's beautiful light in every season, although of course less of it in winter. I prefer the slanting light at either end of the day. A special place in my opinion for the soft luminous glow of shaded north light. For magic places... New Mexico has a particularly beautiful quality of light.
The first photo in Taos in mid-afternoon, autumn with my 5x7"
The second in the Purcell Mountains, Canada at 0800 am in April, (Fuji GW690iii).
Both negatives print very easily

 

[cliveh]

 

[mshchem]

Lovely words and images. I was out today, here in Iowa. I ride my Ebike, a mountain bike, it's all I can do to get up the hills on this trail. Today I met a fellow, Warren and his dog Derby. Nice fellow, I thought this guy is older than me. I was getting ready to move along he told me he's got a birthday coming up next week, he will be 92!!!

 

[awty]

The more particles in the air the more warmer and sofer the light. Usually this amplified when the sun is close to the horizon.
We get nice light when there is bush fires nearby.

 

[Vaughn]

I photographed a lunar eclipse years ago...an exposure on a sheet of 8x10 every ten minutes from start to finish. When it became total, the sky turned black, stars jumped into the sky which was also filled with shooting stars. Incredible.

I never changed the exposure, so the moon as it 'shrunk' disappeared -- too dim for my exposure to record. Still pretty cool!

300mm lens.

 

[blee1996]

For me the most memorable lights were near mid summer in Finland (closer to Arctic circle): either around 3am or 10pm, soft warm light glowing low, and seems never setting.

I have one photo, by a point'n shoot 35mm camera, that always reminds me of that magical light.

 

[Daniela]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and images, everyone

 

[koraks]

I think fall and winter light over here is the most beautiful and delicate there is.

Yes, it is. The skies, too (as long as they aren't a completely even 18% grey canopy...)!

 

[David Lingham]

A few years ago my wife and I visited Venice in late November. The memory I have of wandering the back lanes and alleyways of that beautiful city, enjoying the wonderful light and seeing pictures at every turn has always stayed with me. Yes, I photographed The Grand canal, St Marks Square and the Rialto bridge but what I remember most was a shimmering reflection from a moored boat onto the underside of an old stone bridge.

 

[RudyMerz]

Daniela, I think, there's beautiful light in every season, although of course less of it in winter. I prefer the slanting light at either end of the day. A special place in my opinion for the soft luminous glow of shaded north light. For magic places... New Mexico has a particularly beautiful quality of light.

I wholeheartedly agree. When we moved from Houston to Roswell, about 2 years ago, it was like someone lifted a veil. Everything is so clear. Especially now, hiking through the Lincoln forest with all the fall colors. It’s almost unreal.

 

[Daniela]

Yes, it is. The skies, too (as long as they aren't a completely even 18% grey canopy...)!

Yep...but in the wise words of @MurrayMinchin : on those days, it's like having a giant softbox above. And those skies make for much easier printing sessions, too. Glass half full...

 

[warden]

We mostly have bright featureless skies here, so any time there is morning fog I am appreciative!

 

[Chuck1]

The little crescents that filter through the leaves during an eclipse were a pleasant surprise.
And the northern lights were a nice treat.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

This one with oh so delicate pinks and blues was most interesting as I shot it from someone's property who chased me away afterwards and then came over to me to complain about my trespassing as I was packing up my equipment. I calmed him down and sent him the efile once the film was processed and scanned. I thought I was going to get shot. But the results were worth it.

 

[MurrayMinchin]

Yep...but in the wise words of @MurrayMinchin : on those days, it's like having a giant softbox above. And those skies make for much easier printing sessions, too. Glass half full...

I just love our north coast BC opalescent all encompassing temperate rain forest light, where we're far enough north that objects cast long shadows at midday for over half the year. Think late dawn or early dusk light, all day long.

From a weather website:

The clearer part of the year in Kitimat begins around April 28 and lasts for 4.5 months, ending around September 13.

The cloudier part of the year begins around September 13 and lasts for 7.5 months, ending around April 28.

The cloudiest month of the year in Kitimat is November, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 81% of the time.

A short list of favourite light would be:

1) when it's 'mizzeling'...a rain between mist & drizzle that can go on for weeks at a time (what Daniela referred to),

2) in the forest when it's snowing so hard that branchalanches continually fall from the tree tops,

3) the sun breaking through after a 3 to 4 foot snowfall.

Here's one, after a light rain:

 

[MurrayMinchin]

Here's one of a mountain reflecting breaking snowstorm sunset light back into the clouds:

 

[ic-racer]

This place only looked like this once, and only for a few seconds as the clouds rolled through. I was not expecting it, but I already had my 8x10 setup.

 

[MurrayMinchin]

One from the 3rd kind of favourite light mentioned in post #17...when powder snow spray from branchalanches and falling snow appears to be fog rolling through the forest:

 

[mshchem]

Iowa is farther south than Paris, our truly amazing light seems to be later in November and through the winter. Usually cold and snowy here on the Great Plains. Even in the cold, sometimes I just stand and admire the light. Perfect for people pictures, not harsh just beautiful light.

 

[Vaughn]

Yep...but in the wise words of @MurrayMinchin : on those days, it's like having a giant softbox above. And those skies make for much easier printing sessions, too. Glass half full...

When I was printing with silver gelatin papers, I would only photograph under the redwoods on overcast windless days. I got pretty good at judging how the light would be in the redwoods 50 miles north of me. Wonderful light to work in. Lots of usable contrast!! The hours of 10am to 2pm in the late fall and winters were best, with that softbox set up directly above creating openings of light.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

For me, the most beautiful light is during the Winter months, with the Sun low in the sky... or in the Summer months on the Prairie, early morning/late late afternoon.

 

[MattKing]

For me, the light is more likely to motivate a photograph than a subject.
Black and white examples:




Colour examples:

 

[MurrayMinchin]

A typical short break between November storm fronts, looking south down Douglas Channel from Kitimat's MK Bay Marina. Fall, spring, and winter are a time of all day low angle light.