Light Observation
Time: Late afternoon, last Wednesday (this happened over spring break when I was home)
Objective Description: Afternoon sunlight shone on Big Tupper and the other surrounding mountains, creating patches of light and shadow on the rolling landscape.
Subjective Description: The sight of light and shadow on mountains is one of my favorite lighting moments in the world, ever. It seems like such an insignificant thing, but personally, I don’t think anything else could top it. It’s a sight that I’ve admired outside of my bedroom window for as long as I can remember.
I could see Big Tupper, the local skiing mountain, as well as several of the other nearby Adirondack mountains, from my bedroom window. It was late afternoon and the day was still bright despite the drab March landscape of dead, leafless trees. The sun shone brightly, casting dark shadows on some of the area. The shadows contrasted immensely with the parts of the mountain that were lit up by the bright sun. You could see every contour of the mountain. It almost gave the impression of movement, despite the fact that these mountains are some of the oldest and have been in one place for billions of years. The dark parts made the mountains seem huge and mysterious – you’ll never see every part of it clearly, because by the time the sun illuminated the shadowy spots, another part of the mountain had gone dark.
The light and shadow accented the mountains’ natural beauty. The sight was nothing short of awe-inspiring. Every time I see it, I am reminded that I am blessed to call such a beautiful place my home. I don’t miss the snow and cold weather and driving 40 minutes to get to a Starbucks, but I do really miss the way sunlight shines on the mountains in the afternoon.