inspired by the light

I'm having a secret love affair with light.  I've always been captivated by the slant of light at special times of the day, but now that I've found a way to capture it and keep it by taking a photograph, I'm a little obsessed.  I look for light everywhere.  I wait for it, morning, noon, and night.  I guess I might be something of a light stalker, if truth be told. I caught some amazing afternoon light in the gardens at the Vanderbilt Mansion recently -- a whole bed of little ghostly flowers dancing on delicate stems.

Tracy/SurprisePally's photo of fall leaves captures a completely different kind of light -- full of watercolor greens and blues, and those sweet red berries (with one that's just like a little heart.)  Here's what she had to say about what inspires her:

Light, detail, and color are probably the top three things that motivate me to take a photo and light is definitely at the top of the list. If the sun isn't shining, or nothing interesting is happening with light then I usually don't even feel like picking up my camera. When I  took this [photo], the light was dancing on the delicate berries and leaves on this tree and I love photographing these berries. They are so cheerful particularly because they are red and red always makes me feel happy. The small size of the berries and leaves make for an interesting pattern especially when using a wide aperture. This photo also reminds me of one of my favorite things about photography which is the endless possibilities for composing a photo.  Just move your camera ever so slightly and you have a completely different photo. I often take dozens of exposures of just one subject, which is probably quite amusing to onlookers. I love that,  though. Just snap that shutter and you have instant art. I can't draw, paint or write and I'm not even a particularly great photographer but it's an art that is accessible to me and I enjoy it more than I can express.

Thank you, Tracy, for inspiring me with your beautiful images and words.

 Until next time.

--lucy @ a little light reading

berry-okeh by surprisepally

PS:  Today we've got a another great giveaway -- a copy of noted photojournalist David Douglas Duncan's photo-autobiography Photo Nomad.  Duncan, a LIFE magazine photographer, captured everything from the horrors of World War II to the private life of Pablo Picasso.  The book is filled with hundreds of Duncan's amazing photographs.  Leave a comment and you may be the lucky winner.

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We are having nine days of giveaways and special guests. We will be drawing the winners from the comments left during the entire 9 Days Of Inspiration from all three pages and announcing them in a special *muse flash* on October 31. Make sure to visit the Everyday Beauty and More Musing pages and comment each day for more chances to win.  Each comment is an entry to win. Good Luck.