Darkness and Light
by Stefan F. Wirth
The presence of light and the perception of darkness can be defined and explained physically. But light and darkness can also be perceived purely subjectively. If one is often in the light and is then unexpectedly surrounded by darkness, one perceives more than just a difference, one feels an alleged threat, a predominantly psychologically justifiable feeling, but also because the lack of light overwhelms our senses. As the year approaches winter, when the days are getting shorter and we are already walking in the dark in the afternoon, our eyes get used to the low light spectrum and our emotions too. Physically, pure darkness does not occur even in the deepest nights.
If the moon is even shining, it is only a question of eyesight and the will to see the complexity and beauty of night landscapes. If we are not able to do this on our own, we can make use of technical assistance. During my evening photo excursions for this project, the majority of the shots were taken with long exposure. Various variations of the same perspective have later been created through digital post-processing.
So a falsification of reality? No, a representation of real objects from different emotional points of view. Beauty and grace seldom emanate from objects, we see as we would like to see. The photographer records what he feels while seeing, and thus presents himself to those who may have perceived the same situation, whether in the dark or in the light, much differently.
A ray of light out of the night
Sometimes a light shines through the darkness, casting glowing shadows on everything around us. And with every movement that the night walker undertakes, the luminously framed shadows of leaves, grass and branches also move and breathe life into the winter forest at night.
© Stefan F. Wirth, November - December 2022
Berlin, urban park Rehberge
