Light cannot be considered in a vacuum. Many factors combine as light brings character and meaning to a photograph. We work simultaneously with light and its counterpart, shadow, to express ideas. The angle and intensity of the light is critical – it determines how those shadows fall, and also affects the color of the light as well. We can build meaning with those colors. We can also take advantage of reflected light, as it paints our subjects in varying colors. Light and shadow also can create mood and atmosphere. It abstracts and reveals, passes through some of our subjects and bounces off of others. This image, made at sunset, offers examples of some of these factors at work. Light and shadow in sharp contrast create the focal point of this image, the group of brownish red buildings, which appear almost three-dimensional because of this lighting. due to the lowering sun coming in strongly from the right to illuminate them. The buildings in the foreground fall into shadow, becoming a massive anchor and bringing a sense of stability to the image. The low angle of the light is warm, bringing rich color and a spiritual glow to this photograph. The color speaks of time and age, very much a part of the character of Bruge itself. The turreted church spire is also defined dimensionally by light and shadow. The delicate hue of the pale blue sky is created by light as well. This image will lodge in the imagination, not because of the content itself, but because of what the interplay of light and shadow does to that content. It reveals the essence of Old Bruges – timeless, spiritual, historical, beautiful and memorable.