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Around the World in Ten Photos
WordPress.com photographers across the globe know how to capture the perfect moment at any time of day.
A big part of photography is understanding light — its strength, tone, and direction. These ten WordPress.com photographers from around the world show us that from dawn to dusk, there are beautifully lit moments just waiting to be captured.
Janice Meyers got this shot of the Salamanca Cathedral in Salamanca, Spain, just as the early morning sky began to turn from black to blue. We love how the warm glow of the streetlights contrasts with the deep, moody sky:
The sun was a bit higher in the sky when Robin Kent of Photography by Kent caught the first rays of light over Washington, DC’s Tidal Basin, and cherry trees. The pink glow of the imminent sunrise echoes the delicate hue of the famed blossoms:
On the other side of the US a full sun bathes different pink flowers — a field of tulips in Washington State’s Skagit Valley. Dawn at Pictures and Paragraphs highlights both a single flower and the rolling field of pink behind:
WordPress.com photographers found beautifully illuminated fauna along with the flora. During a day at a Yorkshire, England, wildlife park, the blogger behind Photogazette was in the right place at the right time to snap a perfectly placed shaft of light giving form to a lioness’s morning yawn:
Of course, good lighting isn’t always about a shaft of light placed just-so. Diffuse light has its own unique and mysterious appeal, as A Gypsy’s Chronicles proves with this photo of morning mist rolling over the Huang Shan mountains of southern China:
Nor is light always cheerful, although that doesn’t mean it can’t also lead to stunning photos. The blogger from “There was a time…” caught a moody moment when she photographed white swans under a brooding sky outside Vancouver, Canada:
As photographer Laura Macky knows, though, an ominous sky has potential of its own — here, she shares a stormy sky giving way to a joyful arc of color:
(For budding photographers, Laura co-hosts the weekly Monochrome Madness photo challenge with fellow WordPress.com photographer Leanne Cole.)
As the day winds down, the light becomes warmer and the color more saturated. Dan Sutherland of DanSuthPhoto.com was lucky enough to have his camera at the ready when he saw this colorful blaze cover the South Dakota badlands:
The setting sun’s light also creates patterns and shapes that aren’t apparent during the day. Mark Simms found these sinuous shapes in the sand on the Merseyside, England, coast as the sun dipped behind the Irish Sea:
Even when the sun disappears, light can transform a view. The Roaming Lama‘s Justin waited until the sun sank below the horizon and was rewarded with this multilayered image of Florence, Italy, at dusk.
For more great photography (and some armchair traveling) check out the photography topic in your Reader; if you can’t get enough of the early morning and late afternoon light, try the Golden Hour topic.
WordPress.com News 
Beautiful images!
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I’m glad you said that about light – too many people rely on photo editing software to help out.
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Reblogged this on Mark Simms Photography and commented:
I’m delighted to have been featured in this WordPress post about the use of light in photography…..mine is the penultimate image in the post.
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These photos are amazing.
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Reblogged this on PETiTE LIFE. and commented:
I would love to (one day) study photography and learn more about taking perfect photos. This post shares some of the most breath-taking photos I’ve.. probably.. ever seen taken. Amazing talent!
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That is so beautiful. Great way to start the day.
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Gorgeous!
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Breath-taking images especially the mountains!
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Reblogged this on Sights, Sounds & Senses and commented:
It’s amazing how photography seamlessly captures the beauty of those little moments that are easily be missed by so many. A lovely blog post with some fantastic pictures.
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Thank you for the recognition and also for all these other wonderful photographers! I’m happy to say that I’ve already found some of them. Everyone have a great day!
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You’re very welcome! Thanks for letting us share your beautiful image.
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😀
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Thanks for sharing these stunning photos with us. The bloggers who took these shots are truly talented 🙂
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I guess “Wordpress photographers” don’t like people.
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WordPress photographers beg to differ 🙂
https://wordpress.com/dailypost/2014/02/11/photographing-people/
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Thank you for including my photo of the lagoon in this illustrious group of photographers!! Such an honour!! ( exact location: the lagoon is located outside Victoria BC on Vancouver Island just across the Strait from the city of Vancouver)
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Our pleasure, and thanks for the clarification.
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Great photo-journalism!
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Just fabulous images! The lioness looks amazing
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Thank you for the feature call out. That is really cool – I’m honored to be among such lovely work.
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Thanks for publishing your lovely work on WordPress.com 🙂
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the one with the mists is wonderful.
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Oh, my gosh. When the world has so much to offer, life is more than just about people.
Gorgeous photographs!
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Wow, I am honoured to have been had one of my images featured with this group of amazing images. Such great examples of how important light is to the mood of these images. I am reminded over and over again to get up before breakfast for that beautiful light, and occasionally I am rewarded!
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Hear, hear!
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These images are incredible! What an incredible talent for capturing beauty! Keep it up!!
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I love this post! Even though I haven’t traveled a lot, posts like this always inspire me to get out there one day. I’d love to go to all of these places and I’m confident that one day I will, thanks for sharing!
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Gorgeous shots. Thanks for sharing.
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No favourites because they are all stunning. Thank you for sharing with us. 🙂
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A great read and even better image collection. Thanks for sharing! 😉
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These photographs are just terrific!
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This is something (along with many other aspects) I would love to learn, how to use light effectively in photographing.
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These might help!:
https://wordpress.com/dailypost/2013/07/09/photography-light-fundamentals/
https://wordpress.com/dailypost/2013/07/16/quality-of-light/
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Thank you very much.
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Lovely photos!
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Stunning and Beautiful photos!
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Wow, stunning photos!
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Thank you for the beautiful pictures. 🙂
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I love lions breath!
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That is why it is said that a picture tells more than a thousand words!
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Nice collection of photographs – Thank you for displaying them.
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Thanks for sharing. I have few beautiful pictures from the valley of the moon in Chile last year. Best trip of my life. It was a sunset on volcanoes. This is awesome stuff 🙂
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Never let Instagram filters fool you into thinking that the world is full of incredible photographers. It takes true talent to capture the beauty in these 10 photos. Beautiful!
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In most of these photographs, and probably all, there is a coherence between the colours in the background and the foreground which unify each picture and create harmony. Congratulations!
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stunning selection – thanks for the mini trip around the world with such color – and LIGHT! each so beautiful –
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Wow! What great pictures.. Thanks for sharing..
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This was simply stunning. Thank you for sharing your work and art!
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Some really stunning images, well done.
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Hi Michelle,
A really good blog entry.
You and the others commenting on here are spot on about the importance of the quality of light at the time the picture is taken.
Photoshop can only do so much. The sensitivity of the photographer to the moment beats any filter and your selections demonstrate this.
Thank you.
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nice pics now to the POINT STOP ALL THESE ADS!!!!!! I can not read one fffing blog post without a flipping 27 ads and one right in the middle of what I’m trying to read with no X to shut it off !!! and getting really sick of being move to another page everytime I click on my sceen !!!!!!!
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We don’t run any ads on WordPress.com that take over your screen, and we don’t run any ads at all on this blog — you might want to check your browser to see if some adware/malware snuck in with something you installed.
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Breathtaking images.
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Thank you for sharing these spectacular photographs showing the glory of this earth, the gifts of creation!
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stunning images!
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Wow! Stunning pics! All that beauty everywhere 🙂
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Reblogged this on The Derpy Dweeb and I and commented:
Stunning photos all.
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Reblogged this on breadnboots and commented:
i was once really close to that view of huang shan, but only lucky ones get that! gorgeous pictures
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What a beautiful world! Fabulous!
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Too Beautiful……. My eyes are popping out.
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You chose some wonderful photos. Very difficult to choose a favourite.
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These photos are amazing.
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Wow! beautiful images. To be at any of those places and see them from that perspective would be awesome.
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Thank you for posting these great photos. Awesome photography!!!
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I’d like to know what kind of lenses and settings the photographers used to take these photos.
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Many of them share details on their sites — take a few minutes to click through.
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I LOVE all the photos! They are so GOOD.
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Seeing these photos just make me yearn to travel more!
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Beautiful Photos! Also, excellent descriptions to accompany them!
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Excellent Pics!
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Wonderful post. Splendid photography!
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Love all the photos. I’ve been away from my camera for too long and need to refresh my knowledge of light. BTW what theme are you using? I looked around but couldn’t find the name. Thanks for a great Monday Morning post!
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We cobbled this together ourselves 🙂 It doesn’t use one of our themes.
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Hi, Michelle: I’m late in getting back to you to express my appreciation for including one of my images in this talented group of photographers. I also really liked your concept of taking it in a dawn to dusk sequence. I’ve only been blogging for a short time but the best part is finding so much exceptional artistry among those who are expressing themselves with words and images.
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I’m glad you liked the post — thanks again for being a part of it.
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This is absolutely beautiful. I love this idea, and I told my boyfriend who is a photographer and he thought it was genius. 🙂
Thanks!
-Heather
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Great collection of fantastic and telling images.
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Reblogged this on Jonelle Banaszak and commented:
I think it is beautiful to see how something as simple as a picture can say things some words just simply can’t begin to describe. I truly believe the simple pleasures in life are what make living so extraordinary and these are just a few examples of how that can be so.
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Breath-taking images!
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very well done regarding the photos. Need some each week. PGL Westbank BC
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These are beautiful pictures!
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Wow! What amazing photos!!!!
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WOW! 😀 All praise to the truly skilled photographers!!
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Breathtaking. Thanks for the around the world tour! through your pics I was able to travel and enjoy the sights at the comfort of my workstation =)
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I love all your photos!
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Amazing shots of nature around the world at different times of a day.
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The rainbow one is gorgeous!
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That’s a great photo
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❤ all these photos!
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Gorgeous pictures!
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Loads of blessings and warm wishes to all the photographers… There’s so much beauty around, but not many of us have the ability or talent to see it the way you do… Thank you ever so much for sharing your perspective and making us realize how beautiful our planet is. God Bless! 🙂
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UNBELIEVABLE! A picture truly is worth a thousand words. As an amatuer (very) myself, these shots are inspiring. The Lion’s breath is breath taking (no pun intended). However, ALL of them are captivating. Light is a key component to great photography. Wish the posts included camera settings but I understand the reluctance to reveal tricks and secrets.
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I agree. Photos ARE all about lighting.
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