Weekly Photo Challenge: Refraction & Reflection
“Man, Sub-creator, the refracted light through whom is splintered from a single White to many hues, and endlessly combined in living shapes that move from mind to mind.” J.R.R. Tolkien
Weekly Photo Challenge: Refraction. Reflection. Illumination City – Christmas Tree Lights
Weekly Photo Challenge: Refraction. Reflection. Illumination City – Rainbow
Weekly Photo Challenge: Refraction. Reflection. Illumination City – Terminal Lights
Weekly Photo Challenge: Refraction & Reflection = Illumination City
Light illuminates; it makes manifest things we don’t see. Until we turn the lights on, we don’t see things in all their glory. This photo challenge on – REFRACTION – made me stop, ponder the meaning of the word, and investigate it so I could understand it better. It was a bit abstract for me and finding suitable words, photos and quotes was difficult. So I did some homework on its meaning and effect.
What the heck is refraction?
According to information I gathered online from a course at Vermont State Colleges(vsc), Refraction can be defined as the bending of light as it passes from one medium to another with different densities. Refracted light creates a variety of patterns, reflections and refractions. Because I was curious to learn more, I checked out the vsc course to learn the many ways we see the optical effects of refracted light: Refraction creates changes in Sunrise, Sunset, Twilight, Inferior Mirages, Superior Mirage, Halo, Tangent/Bright Arcs of light, Sun Dogs, Rainbows, Dewdrops/Raindrops, Primary Rainbow, Secondary Rainbow, Diffraction, Moon Corona, and Iridescence and Glory. Who knew?
Weekly Photo Challenge: Refraction. Reflection. Illumination City – Sunset
Weekly Photo Challenge: Refraction. Reflection. Illumination City – Hudson River Sunset
Who knew that the seemingly simple act of bending light could lead to all these ranges of optical effects. Ha! I bet you thought you were coming to look at a bunch of photos. Right? This is why I love the photo challenges; they challenge us to learn more about our surroundings, to become acutely aware of the things we see and take for granted, and to become conscious of the unique beauty of things around us that we see and like. My favorite one from the list were Rainbows which are as per the vsc site: “generated through refraction and reflection of light in small rain drops; sun must be behind you; rain drops must be ahead of you; the angle between your line-of-sight and the sunlight will be 40°-42.” Beautiful!
MORE BELOW!
“Do not Bodies and Light act mutually upon one another; that is to say, Bodies upon Light in emitting, reflecting, refracting and inflecting it, and Light upon Bodies for heating them, and putting their parts into a vibrating motion wherein heat consists?” Sir Isaac Newton
Weekly Photo Challenge: Refraction. Reflection. Illumination City – Stairwell
Weekly Photo Challenge: Refraction. Reflection. Illumination City – Fountain Lights
Weekly Photo Challenge: Refraction. Reflection. Illumination City – Moon meets fading Sunlight?
Where is your refracted light? As I said earlier, this photo challenge was a bit abstract for me and finding suitable words, photos and quotes was difficult. I looked at what my fellow bloggers were sharing (all fabulous), and it helped clarify it a bit. I saw some incredible ones on the internet too and wished I could do as well. Light illuminates, makes manifest things we don’t see. Until we turn lights on, we don’t see things in all their glory. Refraction takes the same light and bends it through other mediums. glass, water, and everything else… What an illuminating idea. Did you know this already?
This post was inspired by a Daily Post Prompt: Weekly Photo Challenge: Refraction For this photo challenge, show us what “refraction” means to you. It could be an image taken in a reflective surface, it could be light bent from behind an object, or it could mean remedial math homework: the choice is completely up to you. I’m looking forward to seeing how you interpret “refraction.”
Positive Motivation Tip: Light seeps through and around everything. Nothing is held back. It reflects, refracts and illuminates. Where are your rainbows? Use them to push through and shine.
More Weekly Photo Challenge Posts
PHOTO CREDITS/ATTRIBUTIONS: All Photos: from my Personal Collection.
Until Next Time…
Ask. Believe. Receive. ©
Elizabeth Obih-Frank
Mirth and Motivation
Positive Kismet
Wow, I love the reflections and refraction photos. Thank you for sharing.
Terri R Beavers
Thank you Terri! This one was challenging and I’m grateful that I found enough to share.
Wow! The photos are amazing! Photography is such a fun and rewarding hobby and/or business!
Thank Kimberly! I’m an amateur and learning a lot every day.
Love those photos! I think the terminal lights is my favorite though.
Glad you like it… It’s pretty famous terminal in Michigan
I think taking a picture of a rainbow is cheating, lol. It’s an interesting challenge!
Really? Why do you say rainbow shots are cheating? Rainbows are an important example of refracted light and I’ve seen some amazing double rainbow photos. Please enlighten me on your comment. I don’t understand why you think it’s cheating!
When I read the challenge this week I didn’t get it at all, l don’t do science! In the end it sort of fell into place. Your gallery of Christmas lights work brilliantly and I love the light on the edge of the clouds 😊
I didn’t get it either and that’s why I went looking for answers. I like the course I included because it showed pictures of the examples. 🙂
I love the photos. They are amazing.
Wow, The fountain lights is so beautiful.
Beautiful photos, I love the terminal lights and the fountain, so pretty!
I love those two too… Love the blue in the fountain.
Such a wonderful collection here.
Thank you Cee! I go the rainbow idea from yours… 🙂
Stunning pictures… lovely… 🙂
TY Bams! So good to hear from you!
These pictures are beautiful. Love those sunsets.
Thank you Ben… long day eh? You work hard for your clients. 🙂
Lights leave impressions!! Gorgeous 🙂
Indeed they do. WE can also bend them into new variations of life…
Wow, what a nice collection of photos you have here. You got some great captures.
Really cool pictures. I just got a new camera so I am really going to try to take some pictures on refraction.
Wow what beautiful pictures! I love people being creative!
The third picture down reminds me of Chicago’s airport. They have a lit up area like that, and it is pretty cool.
I would have never guessed that the first group of pictures were of Christmas tree lights – very colorful!
Love the fountain lights
My favorite was: Weekly Photo Challenge: Refraction. Reflection. Illumination City – Terminal Lights
I’m particularly drawn to light, especially in the way you have captured it! Really beautiful job!
I love these photos. I have been trying to capture refraction but not successful…. yet 🙂
This is so cool – i have been working on my photography so this is really fun to learn!
These are all beautiful photos! I love the fountain lights.
I love the photos. Beautiful and impressive.
Mhar Sefcik
http://kutsownstyle.blogspot.com/
Beautiful pictures! Love the light and colours!
The sunsEt Picture is my fave!
That tunnel is amazing.. i would like to see that in action.
It’s at the airport in Michigan… I’m blanking out but will dig up the post where I wrote about my visit and walk through this terminal… It’s pretty famous and surreal.
What a lovely photos you take. I do photography too on my personal blog
Do share so I can come visit and enjoy yours.
It’s amazing at the beauty light can produce and what you can do with it. People are creative in their designs in this world!
Yes, it is pretty amazing. Honestly, my Christmas tree li8ghts were by pure accident. I kept trying to take “better” photos and those zigzags kept forming. Later I realised they were kinda cool.
What a beautiful series, Elizabeth! All so different, yet perfect for the theme.
Thank you Naomi. I was a bit late to that because I couldn’t quite grasp it.
I sometimes take a little artistic license with the weekly theme.
These are some gorgeous photos. Isn’t photography amazing? You can do so much with it and capture some amazing photos. Love it! And thank you for sharing with us.
The photographs are amazing..A beautiful compilation of lights. I specially liked the terminal lights.
Thank you for the ping-back. I miss Zemanta and that aspect of our blogging life.