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What's your favourite natural-light direction? And why?

This is of course locale-dependent, but I like north-eastern light here in western Canada.

Is this a dumb topic?

 
Oct 12, 04 3:08 pm
alphanumericcha

Not dumb at all David.

I say from the bottom up laying face down on a glass floor here in the South of US.

Northern light pretty nice too and any other direction refracted over at least two surfaces.

Oct 12, 04 4:11 pm  · 
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David Zeibin

What do you mean refracted? Like, a plane of glass and then another, directly? Or do you mean reflected from one material onto another and the distributed?

I'm thinking raw southern sunlight onto checkerplate, then onto corrogated sheeting, then disbursed. Yes?

On that topic, I've done a superficial search for innovative lighting solutions for natural light in interiors, but I haven't found much yet. Anyone have any suggestions?

Oct 12, 04 4:32 pm  · 
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ArchAngel

I am personally fascinated by light that has passed through a green leaf.
There's something magic about it, light that has been filtered by the leaf for the purpose of photosythesis, with the resultant rays translated into something other than raw sunlight. There must be a name for this - I must know. An example would be the light that makes it through a dense canopy of leaves, or the light you see when you look up at a tree to see the underside of the leaves illuminated. What's left of the rays after the plant has taken what it needs from them?

Oct 12, 04 4:40 pm  · 
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alphanumericcha

It’s called lsd archangel . . . and that's a cool point about sunlight's ability to do other than illuminate.

Yes certainly refracted is best, but archangel rises some interesting metaphorical and (dare I say it) practical possibilities.


Oct 12, 04 4:49 pm  · 
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alphanumericcha

Refracted blinding light shooting and disturbing all in its path or gentle workable filling northern light. I am a man of extremes.

Oct 12, 04 4:52 pm  · 
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Ex-Army Dude

I like being in the DARK/SHADE, with minimal light

Oct 12, 04 6:57 pm  · 
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Organic9

I have to agree with ArchAngel. My Office is in a second floor loft overlooking the first floor. I have two North Skylights, on a sloping roof, and one, above me on the opposite slope. The building is shaded by a large Willow tree, with a canopy that umbrellas, the whole building. The light is filtered through the branches and leaves in the Spring/Summer and through the branches alone during Fall/Winter.The light has a soft glow, with no glare.This is amplified by the light, refracting off the warm brick wall and biege walls and ceiling. I never get tired of the environment it creates through out the day and seasons.

Oct 12, 04 7:12 pm  · 
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FOG Lite

ArchAngel rules. Always been my favorite too.

Oct 12, 04 10:06 pm  · 
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drums please, Fab?

i like FOG lite.

and pantheonic light.

and water a la 'night of the hunter' with the car and the pond and if you know what i'm talking about then you know ::heavy::

~stampy

Oct 12, 04 11:10 pm  · 
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trace™

I personally favor a orange tinted Directional light pointed at my desk, offset by a few strategically placed Omnis. Controlled perfection!

Oct 13, 04 2:46 pm  · 
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alphanumericcha

i tink i can viz ualize that trace !

Oct 13, 04 3:09 pm  · 
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ArchAngel
Oct 13, 04 4:07 pm  · 
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alphanumericcha

ArchAngel asked the sun "where you would like to be at 3:45pm on October 22nd ish?"

oooppppssss wrong thread. thought this was the quote one. sorry sorry so sorry...

Oct 13, 04 4:26 pm  · 
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ArchAngel

And the sun replied "Here, with you and our shadow"

Oct 13, 04 4:32 pm  · 
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archiphreak

ArchAngel, you rock!!!...my favorite has got to be almost sunset (between 3 and 5) in the south east US through a west facing window...a blinding orange glow will suffuse everything and give a warm comforting feeling that lasts even after the last rays have been cast down into the deep...ok sorry, just had turkey for lunch and am now tired...going to take a nap now...

Oct 15, 04 1:12 pm  · 
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liberty bell

ArchAngel, a big thankyou for that beautiful post - I'll carry that imagery with me for awhile.

archifreak, I hear you too. I get that light in late winter through the office windows where I work, it squeaks between the nearby buildings to shine directly through our windows onto the tops of the office cubicles and the materials library binders at the back of the office - orange and intense, and fills me with joy, despite the mundane surroundings the natural world shines in.

Oct 15, 04 2:13 pm  · 
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Dazed and Confused

When time is tight on a job, I tend to spend more time perfecting the elevations that face south or west - they photograph the best when I am awake and the sun is still up. When time is really tight, I categorically turn down all jobs that front north - and possibly east as well.

Oct 15, 04 4:37 pm  · 
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A

I really enjoy the light you get on an overcast day. Such a soft light, no glare and very easy to work by. Sometimes on a calm overcast day when it isn't raining I'll take some drawings out to the picknic table out back and check them with the natural filtered light that the clouds provide.

I've also grown fond of the light through my office window in the winter when there is snow on the ground. It's not glaring, being on the north side here in the midwest, but it's very bright and very white. The snow makes a huge difference, as well as sun angle. No bulb could match it!

Oct 15, 04 4:50 pm  · 
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0jk0

i live in the tropics and i love it immediately after it rains.The clouds clear up, the humidity seems to dissappear and the suns rays come streaming in as like shafts of pure white light. everything looks so fresh, so clean, so light...
anyways, to answer the original question, i like western light an hour or two before sunset, when it seems to have this quality of elevating everything it touches with its white/golden hue, as if for one last hurrah just before darkenss sets in.

Oct 19, 04 7:33 am  · 
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