Almost Across the River
July 30, 2018
When I had almost reached the other shore of the Vermilion River (see yesterday’s post), I looked up and saw some day lilies where I didn’t expect to see them. Along the sides of plowed fields in the country, and in people’s gardens, yes, but not in the woods.
If you read yesterday’s post, you know that I have been searching for a term to describe light that has bounced off a surface (in my experience, the surfaces have been windows) and landed elsewhere. In a comment on yesterday’s post, Nannus encouraged me like this: “Just invent one! Language is not fixed and all the words we are using have been coined by somebody at some time.” So I did. I thought. The term I came up with was “ricochet light.” Then I Googled to see if that term might actually mean something else. To my surprise and delight, I found a photographer named Todd Laffler who uses that term to mean exactly what I mean by it. He has some great examples. What fun.
Romancing Reality 
These past 2 posts have ben intriguing and have caused me to look at and for “ricochet light”. I often look at shadows and consider their possibilities for artwork. Now I will be doing the same with ricochet light.
Thanks, Linda!
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July 30, 2018 at 8:54 AM
You’re welcome, Clare. I’m noticing it now more often since I first photographed it. I think the mystery keeps me engaged. It usually takes a while to figure out where the light is ricocheting from.
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July 30, 2018 at 5:29 PM
Charming, Linda! M
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July 30, 2018 at 5:14 PM
Thanks, Marjorie.
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July 30, 2018 at 5:30 PM
A perfect foil to all the green, that brilliant orange, and so graceful.
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July 30, 2018 at 6:37 PM
I wonder if they were planted there by humans.
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July 30, 2018 at 7:21 PM
It’s nice to wonder and also to realize you’ll probably never know. 🙂
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August 4, 2018 at 12:07 PM
A beautiful scene, perfectly highlighted by the daylilies! “Ricochet light” is a clever phrase, more dynamic than the mundane alternative “reflected light.”
Coincidentally, I recently included some such light in a poem, light that emanated from the sun, bounced off the moon, and from there lit up a full-moon summer-night sky with silvery ripples. I called that “a bank shot” at first.
Larry Porter
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July 30, 2018 at 8:31 PM
Oh, I love “bank shot” in this context, Larry! Isn’t language fun.
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July 30, 2018 at 9:03 PM
“Ricochet Light” – what a great descriptive term that is. I must remember that. Always a thrill when you find a splash of colour where you never expected to find one.
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July 31, 2018 at 3:42 AM
I’m glad you like “ricochet light,” too, Andy. Let’s help make it a universally accepted term. And, yes, it is thrilling to find unexpected color—maybe especially in nature.
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July 31, 2018 at 9:39 AM