The Quality of Light

These shots -- below -- illustrate the beautiful effects of light just before dusk and early one morning. The three long shots were taken late one afternoon when the light was busily turning reflections of shrubs and trees into watercolour. The shot that shows the elliptical shape (#3) is all a result of light and shadow playing across the landscape. I had never before seen such a magical image sculpted into a landscape and I'm so glad that I took the shot, since a mere 20 minutes later, as dusk drew nigh, all of these images were gone.

I came out early the next morning with the dogs, a cup of coffee and my camera (just in case). The shot with the wooden pier jutting out into what looks like sky (below) was taken as I realized that the effect of the light was to transpose the sky and clouds above me onto the water. An exact mirror image. If you look closely you can see the water rippling over the clouds and the motion makes the photo image seem a little fuzzy. Or that you are looking at smoke, perhaps. It is an ethereal effect, despite the pier that should cue the eye to the possibility that it is looking at water.

Interesting, is it not, how this experience relates to the Zen art of "going with the flow."
The natural world demonstrates this art minute-by-minute, once we are wise enough to take the time to really begin to see...........