temples of light

Empty parking lot with bright security lights creating dramatic nighttime shadows.

Wide angle view of brightly lit commercial building facade at night.

Long exposure shot of white building exterior with bright security lighting at night.

Long white industrial building exterior illuminated at night with bright lighting.

Row of industrial storage units against a bright blue sky with metal siding.

Empty parking lot with bright overhead lights casting shadows at dusk.

Commercial buildings with green trees lit up at night under clear sky.

Snow covered parking area with bright lights illuminating the space at night.

Row of white industrial buildings with red flowers along walkway during daytime.

Modern architectural structure with curved walls photographed at night.

Long empty concrete driveway leading to commercial buildings under blue sky.

Panoramic view of grassy field next to commercial buildings under blue sky.

Illuminated parking lot and building exterior at night with palm trees.

Sloping green lawn beside white building structures at twilight.

Night-time lighting consumes tremendous quantities of energy and produces results that are so intense that they can be seen from outer space. In the process, we are disconnecting ourselves from starlight, moonlight, and the experience of darkness. This is interrupting our circadian rhythms and contributing to a variety of chronic illnesses as well as loosening our grasp on what has been one of the most fundamental cycles of understanding throughout human history, that of day and night.

Across most of time, human people have kept a very few sacred fires burning at all times. These have been used to honor the divine in all cases that I know about. What are we honoring by keeping so many lights burning day and night?

The volume of light in a place often parallels the concentrated presence of people making decisions that are destructive to the environment. The Las Vegas Strip is the brightest place on the planet and the financial districts are typically the brightest part of an urban area, except for capital cities, where the area surrounding the seat of government is the brightest. In rural areas it is the big-box stores, gas stations and convenience stores that are brightest.

I make these photos while remembering the times I have seen the stars fill the sky and wrap around the edges of my vision like a comforting blanket that reminds me I am looking at the same stars my ancestors knew. I make them with a hope and a wish that children of the future know what this feels like so that they can experience the joy and sense of connection it brings me.