Tales By Light Season 4 - What We Know So Far
"Tales by Light" is an Australian documentary series originally released on National Geographic, similar in style to "Our Planet," "Moving Art," or the new docuseries "Life in Color with David Attenborough." Each season focuses on a handful of professional photographers as they travel around the world to capture beautiful geographical and cultural sites on camera. The travels take photographers to places many people know little about, much less get to visit, and the show opens up viewers' eyes to new stories and diverse lifestyles.
So far, the show — which is now categorized as a Netflix Original series — has three seasons and 18 episodes (as released internationally on Netflix), with Season 3 premiering on the streamer on August 26, 2018. Decider called the series "the most visually pleasing show on Netflix," as "watching the show's environments and the sacrifices the photographers are willing to make for the perfect shot is breathtaking." Throughout the first three seasons, some of the artists featured include underwater and aerial photographer Eric Cheng, wildlife photographers Jonathan and Angela Scott, and Art Wolfe, a photographer and conservationist who focuses on native cultures.
"Tales by Light" has its fair share of fans, so it's no surprise that many are wondering if the series will be back soon for a fourth season. Here's everything we know about "Tales by Light" Season 4 so far.
When will Tales by Light Season 4 be released?
The first thing to note regarding "Tales by Light" Season 4 is that Netflix has not yet officially renewed or canceled the show. There are a lot of possible reasons for this, with the travel limitations and safety issues caused by COVID-19 likely being a big factor. Since the most recent season premiered back in 2018, it's possible that Netflix was in the early stages of development for new episodes before the pandemic hit.
Since the series is entirely dependent on the ability to go to secluded locations that most are unable to visit easily, Netflix, National Geographic, and Canon — all involved in the production of "Tales by Light" — have definitely been limited by the new restrictions. Along with that, the production team and the photographers involved certainly want to insure the safety of themselves and their subjects before going off for various shoots.
With all of this in mind, a possible release date for "Tales by Light" Season 4 is hard to pin down. As travel restrictions are slowly being lifted in 2021, Netflix will hopefully make an announcement in the coming months about the future of the series. Still, it's very possible that fans of "Tales by Light" won't see new episodes until 2023 or later, considering the difficulty of production and other factors.
What locations will Tales by Light Season 4 explore?
Outside of the current situation regarding travel safety, the production team behind "Tales by Light" generally has the ability to visit any location they want. Over the first three seasons, the series has visited Papua New Guinea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Norway, Brazil, Namibia, the US, and Australia, among others. In the show's visit to Ethiopia, the photographer travels with the Surma people, capturing their way of life, while a visit to Brazil focuses on the anaconda, the world's heaviest snake.
There are plenty of interesting locations that future episodes could explore, although the show has already covered a large portion of the globe. Two continents that have been featured less on "Tales by Light" than others are South America and Asia, so it would be nice to see more of their various countries. Though considering that countries in Asia tend to have the strictest COVID restrictions right now, it might be more difficult for the show to gain access to any sites here, for the time being. Also, although the documentary series spends a bunch of time throughout Africa in Seasons 1 through 3, there's still plenty to discover on this large continent as well. It's honestly anyone's guess where "Tales by Light" Season 4 will take viewers.
What stories will Tales by Light Season 4 feature?
The answer to this question involves which locations and photographers the production team decides to center the episodes around. Unfortunately, with very little information currently out about a possible fourth season of "Tales by Light," including whether or not it's actually happening, there's no word yet on the stories that might be featured in future episodes.
Considering the beautiful stories explored in the first 18 episodes, there are a few continuous themes. The first and most prominent is the conservation of nature and wildlife. In the Season 2 trailer of "Tales by Light," photographer Angela Scott — who features in two episodes of the second season — proclaims that "we need to start living more consciously. It is almost a summons to be more responsible, and how can we not?"
The series warns about the disastrous consequences for our future if we continue to not care about the environment. At the same time, "Tales by Light" does a lot of great work focusing on various native populations throughout Africa and beyond. One of the episodes in Season 3 brings attention to Australia's First Nations people, who continue to face discrimination and mistreatment in their home country, as they have for centuries. It's almost certain that Season 4 of "Tales by Light" will continue on with this perspective in new episodes, though the specifics are unknown.