The Dance of Light and Shadow Lessons from the Dolomites

ALAIN DESVIGNE explores the Dolomites, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2009.

This stunning mountain range in the northeast of Italy is the highest and most extensive mountain range in Europe, stretching approximately 1,200 kms across eight Alpine countries: Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia his series of photographs captures the same mountain over a 24hour period from a fixed vantage point in Alpi di Siusi, Europe's highest Alpine meadow in the Dolomites, at over 2,000 meters.

The images beautifully reveal the constant play of light and color, as well as the shifting moods of weather across the mountain range.

One of the Dolomites' unique features is the famous alpenglow.

Indeed, twice a day, at sunrise and sunset, the mountains turn a pinkish colour, then deep red and finally purple, before disappearing into the darkness of the night.

Alpenglow can be explained by the composition of the dolostone, also known as dolomite rock, which contains calcium and magnesium.

When the sun's rays hit these two elements at just the right angle, it turns the mountains a beautiful pinkish-red.

At times, the mountain seems completely invisible during a particularly clouded moment, as if it doesn't exist at all. Yet, those who have witnessed its presence when bathed in light know it's always there, hidden only by the passing veils of nature. From this, we learn a profound lesson: things are not always as they seem.