The great American photographer of the 20th century, Edward Weston, emphasized in his work and in his writings that “reflected light is the photographer’s subject matter.” By that he meant that brilliant sunlight was perhaps the smallest part of the art of making images and presented the greatest danger to the creation of memorable images. To him the opportunities presented by fog, clouds, overcast skies, sunset and sunrise provided valuable avenues of approach to his subject matter. He even went so far as to say each element provided him with a different subject matter.
The lighthouse at Peggy’s Cove in Nova Scotia is one of the most iconic images in all of Canada. It’s been photographed tens of thousands of times. Seen from a distance, the lighthouse reveals its true purpose: to warn sailors away from attempting a landing on the treacherous granite rocks.
There is a right time and a wrong time to take a photograph. Fortunately the sun did not shine on the day of my visit…
“Use light badly and all of your technical skill is a waste of time: use it well and many of your technical shortcomings will never be noticed.” ~ Aaron Sussman in The Amateur Photographer’s Handbook, 8th edition, 1973
