I was sweeping my porch a couple of days ago when I was struck (as I so often am) by the way a particular slant of late afternoon light set our woods aglow. I laid down the broom, sat on the steps in the golden sunbeam and thought (as I so often do) about how light can transform the most ordinary things into breathtaking loveliness.
Of course, I know that’s not exactly an original thought. Neither is the idea of that pure ray of light being a metaphor for how the Light of God can transform us. But sometimes, the simplest things are the most profound.
But, anyway, I came up with the idea of seeing how much of this light beauty I could capture in just fifteen minutes, in my own ordinary yard, taking shots of ordinary subjects, on an ordinary day, with my ordinary camera. To show that you needn’t go further than your own yard to find grace and beauty and how that (and those!) we deem most common are often worthy of a second look.
Behold—the transformative power of light:
Illuminated Dogwood Leaves
Bull Thistle Down Aglow
Light Escapes Under Our Deck
Down Our Light Dappled Forest Path
More Illuminated Dogwood Leaves
Fritillary on Luminous White Snakeroot
Leaf Alight
Shining Monarch on White Snakeroot
September 25, 2007 at 3:36 pm |
Oooooo, purdy! This was such a good idea that I might just steal it for a post on my blog. And I never would’ve thought that the underside of the deck would look so cool in a photo.
Man, I can’t believe the leaves are already changing up there! It’s still in the seventies and eighties down here.
September 25, 2007 at 5:42 pm |
Stunning. Thank you, Beth, for the images and for the reminder. And for shining a little light outward for us all.
Beautiful post.
September 26, 2007 at 12:26 pm |
Enjoyed the light show!
September 26, 2007 at 4:39 pm |
What lovely shots! And a great idea for a blog entry. It is so nice to stop and take a fresh look at the world. Bravo for having done so.
September 26, 2007 at 10:11 pm |
What fantastic pictures! These are worthy of display. You have a great eye. Just out of curiosity, what kind of camera did you use?
September 26, 2007 at 11:40 pm |
June, it’s just a little, inexpensive Canon point-and-shoot. It’s called an A-560, I believe. I like it fine except for the fact that I can’t get close enough to take bird photos–you pretty much need a decent tele-photo lens for that.
And thanks, everyone, for your kind comments!
September 27, 2007 at 11:36 pm |
What a lovely idea. The photos are beautiful.
September 28, 2007 at 2:07 am |
Beth.
Your pictures are gorgeous. I stopped by after reading glowing reports about your blog on Mountain Mama by Wesley. I’ll be back!
Sara
September 29, 2007 at 8:49 pm |
Lovely pictures! Colleen had you linked; hopefully you also stop by Fred First’s blog, fragmentsfromfloyd.com (I think) to look at his photography.
October 3, 2007 at 3:39 am |
Ahhh! Tonight Joe and I walked “into the golden.” The sun set fast and so we had to stand on our toes to stay in its glow for as long as we could. I LOVE the evening light, and especially in Autumn. I consider it magical. Love the shots.
October 5, 2007 at 4:01 am |
It is truly great how much beauty God as placed around us. I have enjoyed your blog. I shall return.
October 18, 2007 at 8:51 pm |
This is awesome…I don’t care what they call “cliché.” Sometimes I miss the light over there…over here in Cullowhee there’s so many hills you can’t really see a solid light beam stretching over any distance!
May 25, 2012 at 12:36 pm |
And this post beautifully reveals your inner knowing and delight in the “splendid lovely and worthiness” of life, Beth. I felt such a teeter-tottering melancholy in your writing yesterday (5/24/12) — sometimes I know that I need to re-read my own writings in moments of both joy and melancholy to feel the wonder of presence, the deep beauty of the paths strewn with pebbles and thorns, soft moss and spongy humus that release the aroma of both decay and rebirth. Blessings.