IN THE FIELD: What Is It?
The majority of my photographic adventures take place in the great outdoors…where I come across scenic vistas, small towns, wildlife, flowers, and natural wonders.
Recently, I was photographing early 20th century architecture in a nearby small town. I went inside the local library that was built in 1902. I had a feeling I would find some great shots of the moldings, windows and structural details that were used during that time period.
I did discover carvings, ornate columns, a huge fireplace with an extravagant mantle, and many other details inside the library. But…there were quite a few folks studying and doing research. It was a little awkward trying to get some shots and not disturb anyone, so I decided to come back another day when it wasn’t so busy.
As I was walking down the steps to the foyer, something told me to stop and look up. And that’s when I saw this hanging entrance light. It’s made of metal bands and tiny light bulbs.
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David Heilman 
And here I thought you had done something cool with a dandelion 😉 Great shot.
A dandelion…that’s a good one! Wish I was that creative!!!
I thought it was the Canada pavillion at expo 67. Or Ontario place?That is what it is all about-keeping your eyes open!
Expo 67…I was there! I was only nine years old and I wish I remembered more about that time in Montreal although I do remember camping and it rained a lot LOL. I think I’ll do some research to jog the memory. I saw some cool stuff in that small town I never saw before…and we used to live there! I’ll be going back!
I can imagine that was a challenge with all the light bulbs – how to expose correctly! What an amazing light, and a superb shot!
Thanks Jo, I’m glad the light bulbs were so small. I got the meter reading and then underexposed by a stop or two so the ceiling and wall behind the light would go black. Actually there were three of those light hanging but this one gave the best view. They are pretty cool!
Long live geometry!
Great response Steve! This definitely is a great representation of geometry…the properties and relations of points, lines, surfaces, solids and higher dimensional analogs. In school I did well in geometry class but had no interest in algebra…go figure since I was the son of a surveyor and was his assistant as a young boy.
Many people report that split, either liking geometry but not algebra, or the other way around. I favored algebra.
I was one of those who loved geometry (got A’s) but hated algebra (barely passed). I’d never have guessed you found this ball of light in a library!
We must have been in the same class! I never would have expected a contemporary light fixture like this in a library either!
Lovely when serendipity steps in to show you a good shot just when yo’d decided to leave. It’s lovely this, designer copying nature’s beauty of a dandelion seed head.
It sure is great when things work out like they did. Had I not looked up while going down the steps (dangerous thing to do by the way) I would have missed the photo opportunity completely. I never thought of this light as a dandelion seed head, but if two of you came to the same conclusion, I guess it’s so!
I would never have guessed a hanging light. Really stands out against the black background. Moral: Always Look Up.
Looks like something from a sci-fi show…careful…it’s deploying the force field…
How cool is this. 🙂
Isn’t it the coolest…I never would have expected to see this in a library.
Really cool shot, David!
Isn’t this the neatest? I didn’t have to do anything with this shot except crop out part of the wall that wasn’t black.
I have no idea, but it looks very contemporary 🙂
It’s an alien spacecraft that was hovering over our back yard! It was at least 100 meter in diameter! Really…it is a light fixture that was hanging in the foyer of a library that was established in 1902. I don’t think the light is from that era though. Pretty cool huh?!