A light probe is a high dynamic range image that records all of the light in an environment coming in to a specific point. Light probe images can be used together with a global illumination renderer (like Mental Ray) to light a 3D object with the light from a real environment. They're also really good for creating cube maps that can be used in real-time applications.
You can learn more about light probe images on Paul Debevec's site.
I created these light probe images just so I could learn how to do it. They're in HDR format so you'll need HDRShop to view them.
BEN'S BACKYARD
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BEN'S FRONTYARD
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CEDAR CITY 1
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