Torngats 2015 - Where Nature and Culture Connect 12

How Many Blues and Greens Are There In An Iceberg?

Turquoise, azure, indigo, teal, cerulean, aqua, sea-green...  

...as the light changes, the colours shift.   

Icebergs were something we were interested in seeing up close, and we saw quite a few of them. These 15,000 year-old mountains of fresh water float south into the Atlantic Ocean, melting as they go. Most of their beauty goes unseen and unappreciated. Thanks to Muriel Edmunds for the closeup photo of the light shining through the base of the iceberg.        

Seeing What's Not There - Day 9

A Table Top Experiment   

Reflections and Shadows 

- a laser beam leaving a trail on a pair of mirrors.         

I am working on a project involving laser beams and mirrors. Laser light is different from daylight or artificial light, as I am discovering in my photography. As you may know, laser light comes in various colors - I am working with red light. You'll be seeing more of it.   

Close Up and Personal - Day 31

This Little Light Of Mine...  

"...I'm Going To Let It Shine!"    

- darkness by candlelight    

Candles are so familiar to us. We have ritual candles, church candles, votive candles, birthday candles and candles on the dinner table. We can have candles for decoration, as well, always being aware of fire safety in their use.
And we also have the symbolism of candles that relates the self-sustaining candle flame to specific events in our lives. We may not need candles, but there is something magic about them that makes us want to light candles all the same.

Close Up and Personal - Day 30

In Its Own Light  

"By the Light of the Kerosene Lamp"    

- an old-fashioned way to light up the night    

Even today, in areas where electricity is not available, people use oil-burning lamps to give light after the sun goes down. Up to the mid 1800's, the most commonly used lamp fuel was whale oil, but nowadays oil lamps burn cleanly with kerosene or refined lamp oil. They may not give off a great deal of light, but when there is no electric power, oil lamps are good things to have at the back of the shelf, ready and waiting to be lit.

Close Up and Personal - Day 29

The Light Within  

Solar Flare? Glowing Ember?    

- No, it's a lamp made from a crystal of salt    

I thought this was a real curiosity at first when we got it. It's a large crystal of rock salt, hollowed out to accommodate a small electric light bulb. When lit, the lamp gives off a soft orange glow, due to minerals and inclusions in the salt. The lamp came with claims of health-giving ionization and air-purifying qualities, but its real physical effect seems to come from the relaxation of sitting in a darkened room, staring quietly at the colors and patterns in the crystal. And yes, it does taste, well, salty.