What is the magic of light?

What is it about light that makes one gasp in awe? What is it about light that touches our soul and makes us take note? What is it about light that breaks through my waking sleep and arrests me in the moment? What is the magic of light?

Suddenly I am touched, and I attend to the world around me. Suddenly I become aware of myself in this wonderful, beautiful world. Full of beauty that I seem unable to absorb. Is the beauty too extreme for me to take it in? What is lacking in me that I am unable to fully absorb these impressions? What comes between me and the impression – the direct immediate impression?

But the world doesn’t change because light shines on it. Does it? So where does the beauty come from?

Light is the substance of a photographer’s craft

When I started taking photography seriously I became more aware of light. Not suddenly and overnight, but gradually. My recognition of light grew as my experience as a photographer matured. After all, is not “light” the material substance of a photographer’s craft?

I feel a deep wish to share with my audience, whoever you are, images that play with light. Images that capture, albeit in an imperfect and modest way, the magic of light. I wish to share my love for light, best I can, through images. So I have decided to share the occasional blog post about this photographer’s personal relationship with light.

Today I am merely sharing some images taken at Easter time in Wales in 2014. The photos show how the rising sun magically transforms an old barn and an early morning Welsh mist.

The magical light of the early morning sun

As the sun rises above the Welsh hills, it gradually sooths away the mist and dampness of the night, revealing a new day full of warmth and hope.

An old barn is being renovated with a new roof and structural elements. One can see marks in the wood made by men who are long dead, alongside marks made by men yet living. Every fibre of the barn tells a story. But who is there to listen and see?

Accreditation

I want to thank Anna and Simon Cooley for allowing me to share these photos. The old barn was transformed by the honest sweat of working craftsmen into a vibrant studio. Now it houses practical courses in sculpture in wood and stone.

Visit www.studysculpture.com to see a brilliant aerial photo of what the barn looks like now. If you explore that website more you can see photos of how the barn is used now.