civilized ku # 274-76 ~ ever ready
Tuesday, November 24, 2009 at 07:58AM 
Mall parking lot ~ Plattsburgh, NY • click to embiggen
Borders at the Mall ~ Plattsburgh, NY • click to embiggen
Sears at the Mall ~ Plattsburgh, NY • click to embiggenSince I am not a light stalker / chaser, I usually only picture "the light" on those occasions when "the light" sneaks up on me and hits me in the eye like a big pizza pie.
Such was the case last Saturday evening as I emerged from the mall. As luck or happenstance would have it, I came into the light at just the right moment (to my eye and sensibilities) - my favorite time of day, entre chien et loup. What I like most about the light entre chien et loup is the slightly odd color that results from the mix of daylight (such as it is at that time) and artificial light (such as it is in man-made environments).
As you might expect, I am not as enamored of the light entre chien et loup for picturing the natural landscape (where no artificial light is in evidence) as I am of it for picturing what might be labeled hand-of-humankind landscapes.
FYI, for those of you haven't been paying attention, entre chien et loup is a French phrase meaning, between the dog and the wolf - that time of day after the sun has gone down but the night has not completely enveloped the landscape. Others of a less effete artistic bent might refer to it as "twilight", "dusk", or the more northern European nomenclature of - think Groundskeeper Willie - the "gloaming".
Reader Comments (7)
What does "entre chien et loup" mean?
What's so hard about using the Google??? First hit yields this: "Entre chien et loup is a multi-layered expression. It is used to describe a specific time of day, just before night, when the light is so dim you can't distinguish a dog from a wolf."
From an old French expression.
Mike... I think Mr.Nuffin was just joshing.
Oh, sorry then...
Actually, Aaron, I didn't know what it meant. I was going to google it, but, that's just not as interesting. Indeed, if I were talking face to face with someone, would I not ask what was meant by something that I didn't understand, or would I just stand there and let the person to whom I was talking continue, without completely understanding what they were talking about? I view blogs as places where conversations take place. That is why I asked here. I would venture a guess that there were more than a few who didn't know what was meant by "entre chien et loup" SO not only did asking the question serve to enlighten me, it may have enlightened others. If I would have googled for the answer, this would not have occurred.
I guess the mall photo cops didn't spot you "casing" the mall.
thanks for the clarification Mr.Nuffin. I understand that line of reasoning.