Light at the end of the tunnel

John Spies

Light at the end of the tunnel

Sunlight beams into the entrance chamber of Tham Nam Lang in Lum Nam Pai Wildlife Sanctuary in Mae Hong Son Province, Thailand. This image was taken at the end of a 54 hour-long exploratory expedition in 1986 to reach the end of the cave’s massive 9-kilometre-long river tunnel. Some people say the best part about caving is getting out…Taken with a Nikon FM2, 28mm Nikkor lense and Kodachrome film.

Light at the end of the tunnel belongs to the following groups:

! 100% !, Amazing Asia, Bubblers' Weekly Challenge, Exotic Thailand , First Things, Images & Ideas, Mood & Ambience - Strictly Photos, National Parks of the World & Great Parks Of The World and Southeast Asia Available for sale as

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Light at the end of the tunnel by John Spies
Light at the end of the tunnel by John Spies
  • Linda Syms

    Linda Syms

    Stunning shot.

  • naturelover

    naturelover

    Absolutely stunning- love it!!!

  • John Spies replied

    hi naturelover, thanks for your comment

  • dinghysailor1

    dinghysailor1

    brilliant capture of the light in difficult conditions!! beautiful work
    :))

  • John Spies replied

    Thanks for the comment. The beams are accentuated by the cave mist that forms when the cave air is colder than outside. And after the sensory deprivation of extended caving, the afternoon light looked incredible, and the smell of the forest was extraordinary.

  • dinghysailor1

    dinghysailor1

    that was some expedition!! so glad you captured this unforgettable image of this moment to share with us..
    cheers
    ;))

  • Helene Kippert

    Helene Kippert

    Superb!

  • ellamental

    ellamental

    Stunning!!!!

  • John Spies replied

    Thanks ellamental, I appreciate that, from you.

  • John Kowalski

    John Kowalski

    Lovely image John!!

  • Ben Messina

    Ben Messina

    Great Capture John.

  • John Spies replied

    Thanks Ben, appreciated.

  • Shelly Hiebert

    Shelly Hiebert

    This is gorgeous John! The person on the upper left really makes you realise the size of the cave! Beautiful :)

  • John Spies replied

    Thanks Shelly, most cave shots, esp of big caves, work better with a person to give the scene some scale, and I always prefer a caver with a headtorch on.

  • copperhead

    copperhead

    Beautiful shot! I think I have to agree with what some people say about caving :) Never been one for the deep dark places :)

  • John Spies replied

    Thanks copperhead, you can build up to those dark places slowly, and once you become hooked it is hard to stop, caves are incredible places

  • Taylor Sawyer

    Taylor Sawyer


    This photo will be featured with the rest of the top ten and two honorable mentions! Please submit it to the group NOW so that it may be featured! (If it is already part of the group, please remove it and resubmit it, Thanks!)

  • John Spies replied

    Thanks Taylor, and everyone who voted for this.

  • Dusker

    Dusker

    magical!

  • John Spies replied

    Thanks Dusker, always nice to hear from you

  • Scott d'Almeida

    Scott d'Almeida

    fabulous

  • John Spies replied

    Nice, thanks Scott

  • Mleahy

    Mleahy

    from this shot I would say they are right. Stunning.

  • John Spies replied

    It was a relief to see those sunbeams

  • Barbara Brown

    Barbara Brown

    Lovely!! Love thse rays!

  • John Spies replied

    Thanks Barbara, appreciated

  • Margaret Harris

    Margaret Harris

    Yes I think I would say that to..I had no idea a cave could be that long…I’d be terrified of getting lost in the dark.

  • John Spies replied

    Some a hundreds of kilometres long, very convoluted and on many levels. This one had a river, so getting lost wasn’t such an issue, though other hazards like …drowning, breaking bones (and one girl broke a few ribs on this trip!), running out of light etc add to the excitement.

  • Erika Gouws

    Erika Gouws

    Beautiful!

  • John Spies replied

    Thanks Erika, appreciate your comment

  • DwCCreations

    DwCCreations

    To meet such an awesome view such as that, yes, I would agree, getting out would be a great part of the experience. Awesome capture!

  • John Spies replied

    It certainly felt good to see the light and smell the forest

  • bubbleblue

    bubbleblue

    wonderful capture.

  • John Spies replied

    Thanks Joy, appreciated

  • Anthony Evans

    Anthony Evans

    Didn’t realise the scale of the cave until I saw the guy in the top left corner. Wow.
    Well done.

  • John Spies replied

    Evolve, in most cave shots it is wise to have someone in it for scale.

  • Garth Smith

    Garth Smith

    Brilliant shot

  • John Spies replied

    Nice comment, thanks

  • Taylor Sawyer

    Taylor Sawyer


    This image will be featured with the rest of the top ten and two honorable mentions. You are now invited to submit it to the group so that it may be featured!

  • John Spies replied

    Cool, I am deLighted, thanks Taylor

  • Kathy Nairn

    Kathy Nairn

    I’ve looked at this photo a couple of times and each time I’m drawn to something in the light. I just saw the figure (man?) standing at the top left on the ledge. Now it is easy to see the depths and height of the cave and its opening. Amazing!

  • John Spies replied

    With most cave shots it is better to have a caver in it for scale. The mist is due to the cool air of the cave mixing with the warmer air outside, which, with the trees breaking up the sunbeams, makes the light the this photo stand out.

  • Sarah Russell

    Sarah Russell

    Fantastic shot! :-)

  • John Spies replied

    Appreciated, thanks Sarah

  • catherine walker

    catherine walker

    wow…wonderful!

  • John Spies replied

    It was an awesome sight

  • KimTurner

    KimTurner

    That is a superb photo, and what atmosphere too… awe inspiring. You are very lucky to have experienced it, thanks for posting!

  • John Spies replied

    Nice comment, thanks a lot Kim

  • emel

    emel

    wondeful work!wonderful technique!

  • greenstone

    greenstone 29 days ago

    WOW!!!

  • kangerugh

    kangerugh 16 days ago

    beautiful tones and colors.

  • Esther's Art and Photography

    Esther's Art a... 16 days ago

    Wow, that must have been an amazing experience , walking and climbing 9 km through a cave. Thanks for showing us the end of your track , what a site, that sure is stunning. fav4me !

  • John Spies replied 15 days ago

    Thanks so much for your thoughts. It was a very memorable experience and sight at the end.

  • mtozier

    mtozier 15 days ago

    wow! that is amazing!

  • John Spies replied 15 days ago

    Nothing like a bit of deprivation to boost ones appreciation of what we take for granted. Caving is good for that.

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