Incredible Crepuscular Rays – Sunbeams Caught on Camera

Published on March 14, 2010 by R J Evans in Photography

Incredible Crepuscular Rays – Sunbeams Caught on Camera

Sunbeams are everywhere – yet when they are caught on camera they are often unwanted additions to a photograph. They cut swathes through the picture, chopping off heads and obscuring detail in a burst of light. However, when they are deliberately captured the results can be nothing short of magical.

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The Chateau de Chillon in Switzerland is described as a magical place by many who visit the historic monument. With a history going back over a thousand years the beauty of the site has inspired many over the centuries, including Rousseau and Byron. Here, the sunbeams radiating from the clouds catch a breathtaking moment. Sunbeams have a rather more scientific name – and that is crepuscular rays. This is because of the time of day at which they are most likely to occur – those around dawn and dusk. In photography these times are often referred to as ‘The Golden Hour‘.

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Patrick’s Point State Park is located in the heart of the redwood country of California in the US. It is home to a huge variety of tree species and is famous for its hiking trails and sandy beaches. This amazing picture was taken there and captures perfectly the peace and majesty of that which we take so much for granted – a tree. The crepuscular rays are perfectly caught as they stream through the branches – and it is the object of the tree itself that makes this vision possible. Crepuscular rays are only visible because the columns of which they are made are separated by areas of darkness – in this case the tall and elegant tree in the picture.

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Golden Gate Park (again in California) never looked so ethereal as in this picture, which unsurprisingly has been a finalist in photographic competitions. The rays make the place seem so peaceful – rather than eery and the contrast between the dark and light if superbly done. It almost seems part of a dreamscape rather than an actual photograph. Quite simply a stunning picture which should be used in tourist brochures for the wonderful city of San Francisco. A trick of the light means that crepuscular rays, which are near parallel, seem to diverge. This is because of something called linear perspective. With this objects seem smaller as their distance from you increases and so it is with sunbeams. It also occurs because of reflection and scattering.

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Tags: beams, chiaroscuro, diffraction, golden hour, images, nature, Photography, photos, pictures, quicker than a ray of light, ray, rays, San Francisco, sun, sunbeams, trees, weather

37 Comments

Mike, posted this comment on Jan 30th, 2010

http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/featured/incredible-crepuscular-rays

Walter, posted this comment on Feb 3rd, 2010

Cada una una belleza

RS Wing, posted this comment on Feb 3rd, 2010

Spectacular pictures. The chateau looks like a magical castle with so much history. Extremely well written article RJ.

LucioThumper, posted this comment on Feb 3rd, 2010

Incrível !!!

Virginia Staffa, posted this comment on Feb 7th, 2010

Very beautiful and magical images! I especially loved the one of “God talking to the cow” I look for the sun to come through clouds like that all the time.

patampar, posted this comment on Mar 15th, 2010

light rays from the sun create a sensual feeling

B Nelson, posted this comment on Mar 15th, 2010

very stunning images RJ well done!

Bailey Thompson, posted this comment on Mar 15th, 2010

Beautiful images. Thanks for sharing!

Peter Cimino, posted this comment on Mar 15th, 2010

WOW! As always, absolutley spectacular! Well done.

bailieman, posted this comment on Mar 15th, 2010

Very well written with lots of detail and terrific pictures.

Lauren Axelrod, posted this comment on Mar 15th, 2010

These are so interesting. I always thought the Chateau was inspiring for some reason and now I know why. I blogged this at http://www.friendsrevolution.com/2010/01/crepuscular-rays.html