Followers of Light

In the same way a painter uses oils or a sculptor works with clay to create their art, a photographer’s material is light. Although many of us have never played with clay or used oils to paint, we are all familiar with light. Whether it is a beautiful sunrise or sunset you have witnessed many times, the midday sun or just the ambient light from our nightlight – we encounter light all day long.

One of the most important tasks for an inspiring photographer is to observe this changing light and see how it affects the subjects you photograph. The best part is that you don’t need a camera to observe light. It’s something that can be done all day long while driving, commuting on a train or walking around your neighbourhood. While observing the light, pick a subject (it could be a tree, a person or a wall) and notice the changes. Keep in mind that the key use of light in a photograph will help you emphasize (bright areas) or de-emphasize (dark areas) parts of your photograph.

This is exactly what we had in mind when photographing interiors in Molson – the ghost town in Washington. Our seeing usually involves fascinating visuals and subjects. Only then do we try to work with the available light to capture our chosen scene the best way we can. This time we had chosen to follow light and let our seeing be guided purely by available light. It was fascinating to observe how light interacted with objects.

We spent about two hours in this location, mostly inside, moving between buildings frequently and visiting the same scenes multiple times. Why? Because each time we entered a structure the light guided us in a different direction, providing us with fascinating visuals and moods. What a treat!