For the first time ever, three of my works were invited into a single national show! “Alchemy of Light” is an online show hosted by an all-online gallery called Nuu Muse Contemporary, based in Dallas, Tx.

Light is of course a foundational element of photography, but infinitely variable in how it interacts with the world. The three images I submitted and are in the show each presents a very different light challenge and each projects an equally different mood.

I should get up early more often! First Light is day dawning over a fallow field. It happened only because I got up in the dark to walk a magical mile of white sheets lit by mercury vapor lamps set out to attract moths and other insects. This ritual is a regular feature of visiting Allen Acres B&B in Vernon Parish, La., and it is great fun in itself. But for me seeing shapes and colors slowly emerge from the ephemeral pre-sunrise light while fragments of clouds still lie in low areas is equally compelling.

Midday! And what a difference it makes. Like women in salsa dresses, cypress trees veiled in Spanish moss undulate through the swamp. Backlighting by an intense sun is its own challenge but creates wonderful effects. I owe thanks to the swamp tour boat captain who circled and made a pass so I could get this shot. Well, that and a few hours of editing…

Partial credit for this shot goes to another artist, the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. I am not particularly good with interior light, but his extraordinary creation, the Milwaukee Art Museum, is so awash with light that even I could come away with a few good shots!

“Alchemy of Light” can be viewed online here for the entire month of July. Thank you, Nuu Muse jurors, for selecting my work.