Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, in everything
That’s how the light gets in
Leonard Cohen
This weekend in Europe our clocks are being turned back. The already dark evenings will be darker as days are starting to shorten and nights lengthen. Finding light where we can becomes ever more precious.
Ever since early man first lit a fire in his cave, people have chosen light over darkness. We open doors or windows to let in the daylight, and light lamps at night.
And as Ritva reminds us in her post for this week’s Lens Artists challenge, light isn’t just a practical necessity in our lives, it also symbolises all that is good in the world, just as darkness symbolises all that is bad. How many of the world’s great stories feature a battle between light and dark forces? And the world’s major religions are all founded on a belief that light can conquer darkness.
For us as photographers, light is everything, although it isn’t always easy to capture, let alone to make the subject of our images. But in response to Ritva’s challenge I’ve pulled together a selection of photos from my archives that I hope will let the light in. Some have had a bit of ‘help’ in editing to emphasise the effect, using a mix of Nik Color Efex Pro and Luminar Neo. But in all of them the light was present from the start, I only had to let it shine through!
My feature photo was taken in the Roman Catholic Cathedral of St Joseph in Sofia
Light through a stained glass window touches the petals of a plant in St Paul’s RC Cathedral, Tirana, Albania
Light through the stained glass of the central lantern strikes one of the Stations of the Cross in the RC Metropolitan Cathedral, Liverpool
In the Sacré Coeur, Paris
Just after sunrise at Angkor Wat, Cambodia
A shaft of sunlight catches a Buddha at Angkor Wat, Cambodia
A crack in the wall of Bibi Khanum mosque, Samarkand, Uzbekistan
In the chapel of the Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial, New Mexico
In the Itmad-ud-Daulah, Agra, sometimes dubbed the ‘Baby Taj’
A shaft of light hits a wall in the Musee Tiskiwin, Marrakesh
Our guide caught in the light from a window at Telouet Kasbah, Morocco
Looking out of a window at the Amber Fort, Jaipur
A dhoby wallah takes a break to read the paper at Dhoby Khana, a traditional laundry in Fort Cochin, Kerala
The early morning sunlight catches a young deer in Bardia National Park, Nepal
Shafts of sunlight in Bardia National Park, Nepal
I have to finish with a shot from our recent trip to California where, as we enjoyed a breakfast picnic in Yosemite Valley, the first light of the morning struck the top of El Capitan
59 Comments
gaiainaction
Yes, light is everything in photographs, in art. I love all your photos, you demonstrated it so well.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you so much 😊
grandmisadventures
It’s really amazing how a little bit light can have such a dramatic impact on what you see and how you see it.
Sarah Wilkie
That’s very true and I think a photo emphasises that because your eyes tend to compensate and even out light and shade ‘in real life’ in a way they can’t do when looking at a fixed image.
norasphotos4u
Gorgeous gallery – I love the stain glass
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Nora 🙂 I’m rather keen on stained glass, especially more modern designs.
equinoxio21
Let there be Light… 👏🏻
Sarah Wilkie
Oh yes, indeed!
Sofia Alves
Magnificent, Sarah. I love all your photos here, the slivers of light are fantastic but your portraits are my favourite this week. You really know how to photograph people.
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Sofia, I really appreciate that feedback 😊
Leya
An incredibly beautiful post, Sarah – as always fantastic photography. Love the shafts of light and your people. Always captured with love and thoughtfulness. Wonderful.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you so much Ann-Christine for that lovely comment 😊
Image Earth Travel
I love your people photos the best, but the stained-glass windows are gorgeous! Mr. Cohen also wrote great music, and you picked an excellent verse for this post, Sarah.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you, although I must take no credit for the use of that quote as I simply copied what Ritva had used in setting the challenge! The photos however ARE mine 😆
Rose
What perfectly lit photos! Oof my heart just adored every image! ❤️
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you very much Rose, I’m so pleased you liked them 😊
Anabel @ The Glasgow Gallivanter
Any post which starts with Leonard Cohen is a winner with me! Of the images, my favourite by far is the header – such beautiful colours.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Anabel 🙂 The stained glass in that cathedral was such a lovely surprise and the sun was angled perfectly to capture it!
pattimoed
Gorgeous light, gorgeous photos. Inspiring, Sarah. Your portraits are incredible.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you so much Patti, I’m blushing at your lovely feedback 😊
pattimoed
😊👌
carabeinsplash
Wow. These are fabulous!
Sarah Wilkie
Oh, thank you so much 😊
Anonymous
A very fine set of images of the light getting in, Sarah! Loved the different images of ecclestical buildings…. And that little deer
That we have seen before and El Capitan, what a fab sight
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you 😊 Yes, the deer has had at least one previous appearance, as have a couple of the others I think!
Easymalc
It’s great to see so many of your pictures see the light of day Sarah (pun intended).
Sarah Wilkie
Haha, thank you Malcolm 😄
Monkey's Tale
Love the El Cap picture, mostly because I loved climbing in Yosemite. I also love that you opened with a quote from Canada’s Leonard Cohen. 😊 Maggie
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Maggie 😊 I take no credit for the use of that quote as I simply copied what Ritva had used in setting the challenge! Where did you climb in Yosemite?
Monkey's Tale
Oh well, it’s still a great quote 😊 We climbed considerably easier routes than the famous ones; Snake Dike on half dome, a shorter route on the bottom of El Cap, Royal Arches, Five Open Books and some of the smaller buttresses. It is a climbing Mecca.
Sarah Wilkie
We saw some people having a climbing lesson near Lower Yosemite Falls
Anna
Wow such a magical collection of photos! I love them all!
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Anna 😊
Anonymous
Fine set!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you 🙂
Marilyn Armstrong
Photography really is all about the light. When it is right, simple photos become miracles. Your photographs are stunning.
Sarah Wilkie
Aw, thanks so much Marilyn, I really appreciate that 😊
Tina Schell
Well Sarah, I certainly get your earlier comment on my post🙃. Great minds DO think alike LOL. A beautiful post as always, my fav is the Baby Tai but all are wonderful
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Tina – indeed we do (think alike)! It’s interesting that this week everyone is picking out a different favourite, and I’m glad you’ve chosen that one 🙂
the eternal traveller
These are all beautiful, but my favourite has to be that gorgeous angel in Sacre Cour.
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much – the light was perfect the day we visited the Sacré Coeur 😀
Vicki
A wonderful series of cracks or shafts of light. I especially enjoyed your travel shots of people (or guide).
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you very much Vicki, I’m so pleased you liked them 🙂
JohnRH
Great photos all. Light on the petals and looking out the window are my most faves.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you John, it’s always interesting to hear which ones people pick out as faves and today there seems to be some variety in the choices 🙂
Alli Templeton
Another superb collection, Sarah. I do so love that woodland one with the little deer. I think I may have seen it in a previous forest post, and I’m so pleased to be able to appreciate it here too. I find it particularly enchanting, so please include it in as many posts as you can fit it into! The other shot through the canopy of trees in Nepal is also stunning, as is the sun on the side of El Capitan. What a place to have breakfast! 🙂
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Alli 😊 Yes, I’m sure I’ve used that Nepal shot previously, in posts about our trip there and maybe elsewhere too! That breakfast in Yosemite was a slice of travel serendipity – we’d planned to have it at our hotel but they had a large group staying and were serving an expensive buffet. As we only really want coffee and a muffin or similar, we opted out and bought a takeaway breakfast from the hotel’s shop which we took with us so we could get into the Valley as early as possible and hopefully beat the crowds. It worked!
Alli Templeton
Wow, I know where I’d rather be for breakfast! 🙂
Egídio
Wow, Sarah! I’m so glad you used several photos captured in churches and temples. The entire gallery is fascinating!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you very much Egidio, I’m pleased you enjoyed seeing these 😊
Anne Sandler
Oh my Sarah! You’ve captured the sun’s effects so beautifully. I especially like your portraits. And, of course, your inclusion of Yosemite at first light.
margaret21
These are fabulous. A really interesting selection.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Margaret 😊 So glad you liked them!
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Anne 🙂 That early morning in Yosemite was very special – I’ll have more photos from there in due course, as you can imagine!
Ritva Sillanmäki Photography
So many images strike me with awe, Light through the stained glass of the central lantern strikes one of the Stations of the Cross, I loved the ones with people in them, emotional shots. And also A shaft of light hits a wall in the Musee Tiskiwin, Marrakesh – maybe my favorite.
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Ritva, I’m so pleased you like these 😊 And as I said on your own post, thank you too for the inspiration!
Annie Berger
Lovely collection of photos as always, Sarah. Too many ‘favorites’ to mention so I’ll leave it at that.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Annie 😊 Choosing favourites is never necessary!
Annie Berger
Thanks, I realize that but you made it too hard this time!