WHY I STILL GET EXCITED ABOUT LIGHT - A photographer`s love for natural light
You would think that after photographing for so many years, light would eventually become normal. Something you understand. Something you can predict. Something you simply use. It isn’t. Not for me. I still get ridiculously excited about good light. Like giving a child a lollipop. I can see something from across the street and think: „Wow, that light is insane.“ And suddenly I have my little Fuji in my hand, walking around, looking for what I can photograph. It still happens. All the time.
01 – I can see it anywhere.
It doesn’t have to be a photoshoot. It can happen on holiday. Walking through a city. Sitting somewhere by the sea. Looking through a window. Passing an old building. And suddenly there it is. A reflection, a shadow, a beam of light. A wall catching the sun for just a few minutes and I stop. Because somehow light can completely change the mood of a place. The same street can feel completely different depending on what the light is doing. And I think that will probably never stop fascinating me.
02 – Tunnel light will always get me.
There is one kind of light I will probably never get tired of: „tunnel light.“ A darker space. A bright opening. A person moving between the two. That transition. That contrast. I have photographed so many successful portraits using this kind of light, including the image that went on to win a Sony World Photography Award. But even after all of that, I still see tunnel light and think: „Oh yes.“ I know what this can do. It is almost a signature of mine now. And maybe that’s why I love it so much. I know how much possibility can exist inside that simple transition between darkness and light.
03 – Sometimes I just sit and watch.
There are moments when I don’t even want to photograph immediately. A sunset over the ocean. The evening light in Portugal. That last warm light disappearing slowly. I could sit there for hours. Just watching. And yes, eventually I’ll probably take a thousand photographs. Because the light keeps changing. But sometimes the photograph isn’t even the important part. Sometimes I just enjoy being there. Maybe because beautiful light can make an ordinary moment feel romantic. Maybe because it slows everything down. Maybe because it reminds you to actually pay attention.
04 – Light has been part of some of my biggest moments.
That’s the funny thing. When I look back at my career, there are so many important moments that started with something very simple. A piece of light I noticed. Sometimes I had three minutes. Sometimes I made one photograph. Sometimes an image I almost didn’t think about ended up being bought by a client for a significant amount of money because they saw something in it. Sometimes a photograph became an award-winning image. Sometimes it was simply a personal photograph of someone I cared about. A photograph from a beautiful weekend. A moment I knew I might never get back. Different reasons. Different photographs. But very often, it started with the same thing: „I saw the light.“
05 – And I’m grateful for that.
I have been lucky. I’ve been able to photograph people. Work with incredible teams. Stand on stages. Teach. Mentor. Win awards. Create images that have travelled much further than I ever expected. And I am genuinely proud of that. But when I think about what still excites me the most, it isn’t necessarily the biggest achievement. It can still be a little patch of sunlight on a wall. A shadow in a tunnel. An unexpected reflection. A few minutes before sunset. And that feeling of: „Fuck, that’s beautiful.“ I hope I never lose that.
06 – Maybe that’s why I still love photography.
Because after all these years, it can still surprise me. I can know the technique. I can understand the light. I can have years of experience behind me. And still feel like a kid when I find something beautiful. Maybe that’s the best thing photography can give you. Not just pictures. But a reason to keep looking. To keep noticing. To stop for a second. And say: „Wow. I don’t think I’ll ever stop getting excited about light. And honestly, I hope I never do.“
