Night Light - Exposing the Darkness
This past fall I enrolled in the Photography Atelier in Winchester. As part of my commute, I ride the ferry back and forth to my home on Martha’s Vineyard. Coming home one full moon evening, I decided to go topside with my camera. I positioned my camera on the rail of the ferry and took some long exposures. The next morning, I loaded my pictures to my computer and was rewarded with wonderful photographs of the moon and the motion of the water.
Excited about the possibilities of night photography, one night I chose the longer coastal route when I got off the ferry. When I reached the Nobska Point Lighthouse, I stopped, set up my tripod and photographed it. I got a very special photo that night and now I travel that route every chance I get, maybe to take another photo or to just revisit that moment.
I am captivated by the experience of shooting photography at night. I have had to teach myself techniques for taking photos when I thought I could not. Heading out for hours at night, I hunt for scenes to photograph. I can plan a location to shoot, but since the night is in control of setting the stage, I never know where I will wind up. A passerby once asked me what I was doing to which I replied, “taking a picture.” He said “But it’s dark!” I just smiled.
The night instills calmness in me. My cares disappear and peacefulness prevails, allowing me to enjoy and observe my surroundings in a new and different way. But what excites me is the challenge to capture that experience in a photograph