Wednesday, February 2, 2011

beauty in darkness

Textured Lights RS

As photographers, we are drawn to light. Even in darkness, our eyes can't help but to wander a room looking for hidden treasures illuminated by the glow of a candle or reflected by the moon. However, in many cases, our eyes see something that our cameras aren't always able to capture. I find that texture allows me to fully illustrate the image of my mind's eye.

A couple of months ago, I was asked to photograph a wedding reception for a friend. The reception was held at a neighborhood bar with 75 of their closest friends and family. I'm not much of a drinker, so it's been a while since I've spent much time in a bar. However, I was struck by the unexpected beauty of the bottles on the shelves and the traces of candlelight.

Photoangie's photo embraced that same unexpected beauty in these Guinness bottles. I love the way the sunlight pours over the glass. The texture adds to the tone of the image without being distracting.

Until next time,

Display of old Guinness bottles
display of old guinness bottles by photoangie

23 comments:

Unknown said...

I love the light you found Ashley. Very beautiful!

Kirstin said...

Such subtle and lovely textures..and of course that light!

Karin van Dam said...

Gorgeous, that picture. I love the soft lighting, very beautiful.

Jamie said...

Gorgeous! The light in each of these photos is amazing and was captured amazingly

Anna said...

Ashley, I love the glow, composition, and drama that you have captured in your photo! Photoangie's makes bottles look beautiful.

Wanda said...

Mmmm.....just magical light. Love it!!

Chelsea said...

Both gorgeous! Capturing artificial light can be challenging but so rewarding when you get a good shot!

Elizabeth Crocker said...

I love night photography! THese shots are beautiful. Thanks for sharing.

Karli @ The Bonnie 5 said...

Ashley, I LOVE this. I didn't even recognize it as your work, and I mean that in a positive way...meaning, you can do ANYTHING! (I seriously looked for your watermark). You can pull off all these different ideas, looks, feels...I think that's incredible. The pictures are gorgeous!

Nancy said...

Ashley, this photo is exquisite. I love the mood of the photo, and the light streaming over the beautiful colors of the bottles is superb. What a gift you have. You can almost feel the texture of the writing on the bottle second from the left. I really need that digital SLR!

urban muser said...

love this pairing ashley!

GailO said...

I love this subtle use of textures ...it lets the light shine through!

Lisa Gordon said...

Such beautiful light in each of these Ashley!
Nicely done!

Lizzi said...

I love the grittiness of your photo Ashley! (Gritty in a very good way!) It's perfect for a bar wedding. And the photo you chose complements yours very well...both beautiful!

Anonymous said...

Thank you SO much for featuring the photo I took at the Guinness Factory in Dublin!!!!!! And the top photo is absolutely gorgeous - I am honored to be along with it!! : )

Lotta Losten said...

Beautiful pictures! That light in the last one is amaaaazing!!

mosey (kim) said...

oooo, look, shiny! What a perfect pairing, Ashley.

Maureen said...

Great pairing of images, lovely tones in both, and well done texture work.

April said...

beautiful! I love the light reflecting on the glasses!

Tammy Lee Bradley said...

Candle bokeh, sigh. Such perfect texture and grittiness.

blue elephant photography said...

i always get tempted to snap a photo or two or more when i'm in the dark. it challenges me that there is very little light! love the photos!

Kat Sloma said...

Beautiful Ashley! I like the subtle texture in both photos. We are truly drawn to the light.

Simon said...

I'm so glad you're musing. Love the image you've posted and the inspiration. More and more I'm noticing light...I love the way you've catpured it here.

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