The UK VELUX Lovers of Light competition attracted 15,000 entries from amateur, professional and mobile phone photographers. Entrants were asked to create a landscape image which celebrates and captures daylight. The judges have whittled these down to a shortlist of ten finalists. The winner will be announced at the end of march with the snapper of the best shot winning a trip to Norway – which will be made during the summer period when the country experiences 24 hour daylight. Photo: “Carousel in the mist”; Prokoshko, Bosnia. (Photo by Marko Stamatovic/PA Wire)

Light is the sole reason why life exists. It provides us with warmth; it allows us to see; it nourishes all the living things on this planet. Many painters, especially the masters of Old Renaissance Period, have recognized the importance of light and its intimate connection with nature and life itself. In their paintings they gave tribute to light, giving the impression that their paintings had a light source hidden within them. Al Hogue, the artist who created the paintings that you see before you, has studied their techniques for many years. As time went by, light permeated not only his paintings by also his life, becoming his sole philosophy.

A car enthusiast races at the Goodwood Revival historic motor racing festival in Goodwood, near Chichester in south England, Britain, September 11, 2015. The three-day event held each September at Goodwood Circuit since 1998 attracts thousands dressed in period costume who watch motor racing in vehicles from the mid-twentieth century heyday of the venue. (Photo by Toby Melville/Reuters)

“Titanoboa is a genus of snake that lived approximately 58–60 million years ago, during the Paleocene epoch, a 10-million-year period immediately following the dinosaur extinction event. The only known species is the Titanoboa cerrejonensis, the largest snake ever discovered, which supplanted the previous record holder, Gigantophis”. – Wikipedia

Photo: Leah Del Rio views a replica of the prehistoric Titanoboa, the largest snake to ever live, on display at Grand Central Terminal on March 23, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)

Thai military officers dressed in traditional orange monk robes arrive to attend their official ordination ceremony on July 13, 2011 at the Benchamabopit temple, also known as Marble temple, in Bangkok, Thailand. Eighty four of the military officers were ordinated into the Buddhist community over two days, taking leave of absence from their jobs in the Army for three months during the Buddhist lent period. July 16 will mark the first day of the yearly three-month retreat of Buddhist monks where they will practice meditation in temples and study dharma. (Photo by Paula Bronstein /Getty Images)

Members of the public continue to pay their respects at the scene of a hit and run following civil disturbances in the Winson Green area on August 12, 2011 in Birmingham, England. Police are continuing investigations after three people – reportedly trying to protect shops from rioting and looting in Dudley Road – were struck by a car and killed during rioting. Police have so far arrested over 1,000 people following rioting which erupted over a four-day period across the UK. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Model Bianca Gavrilas wears a a hand-embroidered cape made from the silk of the Golden Orb Spider in the V&A Museum's Medieval and Renaissance Gallery on January 23, 2012 in London, England. The cape is one of two golden spider silk textiles that exist in the world, it was made in Madagascar over a period of 8 years and using the silk of silk of 1.2million spiders. (Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images)

A Christian pilgrim prays during her visit to the baptismal site known as Qasr el-Yahud on the banks of the Jordan River near the West Bank city of Jericho April 9, 2015. A day ahead of Orthodox Good Friday, the Easter period draws many Christian tourists to visit well-known religious sites, including Qasr el-Yahud, where it is believed John the Baptist baptised Jesus. (Photo by Amir Cohen/Reuters)