I became intrigued with winter light when experiencing the Winter Solstice.  There was something about the quality of light and how that quality changed during that day.

When I was searching around for a topic for my small group at church called Photography as a Spiritual Practice and I thought back to the Solstice.  I was really fascinated by how the light changed during the day.  This became my inspiration for our January topic.

Usually we have some sort of preparation for our challenge. Sometimes it's looking at internet sites of photos or just spending time looking at other creative endeavors.  This month, I suggested that members just spend some time observing light during January. No taking of photos.  Just observe the light.  I was hoping that others would be as fascinating as I am by how much the light changes during the winter, even on cloudy days.  Observe and then take photos later.

As I was writing the "do" part of the challenge, I encouraged the group to think broadly about winter light and take a variety of photos on different days at different times of day and under different lighting conditions.  It could be indoors or outdoors. And even stretch when you mean by winter light.  What about light at night?

For me personally, I went out during the first part of January and just walked and appreciated the light as it changed around me.  I walked by the river that is near our home, I went to the lake, and I just walked around my neighbor.  I also watched the outside light while inside my home.  I enjoyed the long shadows and sometimes the very abstract expressions that I could see on walls or on our carpet.

I am still experiencing and taking photos around the challenge of winter light.  Here are three of my favorites that I shot thus far.

The first was taken early on during the month while walking along the Fox River.  It was one of the blue sky days and the blueness was reflected in the water and in the surrounding buildings.  I simply love the blue quality of the light.

PAD Jan 2 Hiking Along the River on a Blue Sky Day

My next photo was taken along the shores of Lake Winnebago.  We've had a lot of freeze/thaws this year and the snow and ice patterns in the water reflect that. Sometimes they even thrust up on the land or right next to the shoreline.  Usually this happens in the spring, but with the amount of freeze/thaw, we had the fairly unique experience of having this happen in January.  Numerous people were touring around the lake to see these ice shoves.

What I love about this photo is how the light interacted with the ice and created this nice diagonal.

PAD Jan 6 Ice Shove at Calumet County Park

And my last photo of this series was taken just a couple of days ago.  I was driving around to some of the spots where I enjoy taking photos.  Again, this is Lake Winnebago.  What I saw today was a combination of open water and snow.  The sky is so much different than the other days where there was sun.  Here the light is flat, but there is a moodiness that permeates the entire scene.  Ironically, just down a bit from this site, the lake was frozen hard.  But not here.  This is a place where conditions change hourly.  Which all adds to the feeling of moodiness.

Often, we don't appreciate the array of colors and the way that light changes during the winter months.  This year I am appreciating how beautiful the light is all through this month..  I am looking forward to taking even more photos while thinking about winter light.  It's only January 18; there is a lot of January to explore!