Rjukan Town Square

Rjukan's town square is home to one of the world's most unusual light installations, where three large mirrors mounted on the surrounding mountainside reflect sunlight down into the valley from late September through March, when the steep terrain would otherwise block the sun entirely. The reflected beams create a soft, concentrated pool of warm light in the square, surrounded by the cool blue shadow of the valley, giving you a striking contrast that is hard to find anywhere else. Shoot toward the mirrors on the hillside to show the source of the light, or position yourself within the illuminated patch and look outward to capture the dramatic tonal difference between light and shadow. Midday gives you the strongest reflection. A wide angle lens works well to include the valley context, and the square is flat and easily accessible on foot from the town center. (Rjukan, Telemark, Norway)