Heliophilia

Why does sunlight sometimes feel so special, even when it only appears for a brief moment?

It’s a simple question, but one that stayed with Julia. The 23-year-old photographer, who lives in Tilburg where she also grew up, often finds herself drawn to small moments that easily go unnoticed. Sunlight is one of them — something that usually feels ordinary, yet in the darker months can suddenly feel rare and meaningful.

While thinking about this, she came across the word heliophilia. The term combines two Greek words: helio, meaning sun, and philia, meaning love or desire. Together they describe the longing to remain in the sunlight.

Perhaps it’s something deeply human. Sunlight affects our mood, our energy and our bodies. Maybe that’s why even the briefest appearance of the sun can suddenly feel so important.

“If you’ve had a bad day, that short moment of sunlight can still become a small highlight.”

In Julia’s photography, light is therefore more than just a visual element. It also carries a certain feeling.

“I’m always searching for light,” she says. “You can play with it in so many ways. Light is really all I need.”

For Julia, the word heliophilia felt immediately familiar.

“I can’t really live without it,” she says with a laugh. “You can call me a heliophile. When the first ray of sunlight comes through my window in the morning, I immediately want to go outside and stay there.”

Perhaps that feeling becomes even stronger during autumn and winter. When sunlight is scarce, even the smallest moment of it can change the atmosphere of a day.

“I hope people feel warmth when they look at the photographs. Maybe they’ll recognise themselves as heliophiles too.”

And perhaps, she adds, people might begin to notice those brief moments of sunlight a little more — especially on the days when it only appears for a short while.