09/15/08 at 01:14 AM

One of my favorite parts of photography has always been light. Last week I was walking in the forest in Michigan and was reminded that light is only interesting when it contrasts with shadows. In honor of that wonderful pairing, this week I’m sharing my best photos of light and shadow from over four years of photography:

This is a window on the wall of the turbine hall, my favorite gallery space in the world.

One morning last summer I found myself awake at 5:30 in the morning, so I went out to watch the sun rise over Lake Michigan. This is what I saw.

Charletta’s breath condenses in a barn on the farm where she grew up in Iowa.

This is a bonsai tree from the collection of the Chicago Botanical Gardens.

This snail lives on Turtle Hill above Camp Friedenswald in Michigan.

Jonathan in front of the otter tank at the Lincoln Park zoo in Chicago.

Sunset over Crystal Lake in Michigan.

Bird of Paradise in Bucaramanga, Colombia.

I discovered these candles in a window while visiting friends in Knoxvilled, Tenessee in the winter of 2007.

My friend Chris watches the sunset on Joyfield Farm near Liberty Mills, Indiana.

A Flag and shed near Fort McCoy, Wisconsin.

Birches in the winter at the Chicago Botanical Gardens.

Canned tomatoes and Canalope on my mother’s kitchen table.

Waiting for the 290 at Cumberland station, on the way back from O’Hare airport.

Green tiles at the international airport in Caracas, Venezuela. Taken during our honeymoon in 2006.

Boarding the train at London Bridge Station.

I’ll conclude with a few of the photos that I took during the walk in the Michigan woods that inspired this retrospective. These pine needles caught my eye as if illuminated by a spot light in the midst of shadows.

Light shafts through the trees always trigger the nostalgia spot in my brain and the shutter on my camera.

I’ve always wanted to get one of those perfect shots of light through dew drops in the morning. This time I think I finally got it.

Grasses frame each other in the early morning glow.

Light dappled across the forest floor.

Want to see more? Check out my light and shadow set on Flickr.