Before We Explain the World

Photography by Lu Heng

6Life Itself

Light Close By

Story 48 of 51 · 6 photographs

Beneath the stars, a tent, two chairs and a small fire draw the eye down from the wide sky to a place to sit. The next flames fill the frame, then fit above a pocket lighter. A lamp under the eaves leads us back into evening blue. By the last photograph, the light has spread across the sea.

  1. A tent, two chairs and a small fire beneath a large tree, with a white vehicle alongside. Stars fill the blue night sky.
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    A place beneath the stars

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  1. Close view of burning logs against a black background. Blue flames rise between bright yellow and white flames above the wood.
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    Blue at the heart of the fire

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  2. A thin orange flame rises above dark pieces of wood and rough stones. Pale walls and dark openings are blurred in the background.
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    A flame above the stones

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  1. An open gold-coloured lighter with a clock face stands on a textured surface. A blue-and-white flame rises above it; coloured circles of light blur into the dark background.
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    A small flame, a clock face

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  1. A small lamp lights a wooden post beneath a dark thatched roof. Beyond the ragged edge of the eaves, blurred trees stand against a blue evening sky.
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    A lamp beneath the eaves

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  2. A dark building on stilts extends over blue water on the right. Cloud bands sweep across the blue sky, with a pale pink strip near the horizon.
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    A room above the blue

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