Night Lights
I am interested in the interplay of light and dark in urban landscapes as night approaches, deepens, and lights are turned on.
I find myself going out on rainy nights, looking for busy streets to photograph. Streets with bars and restaurants, especially areas where students gather. These streets are my favorites. I photograph streets in Boston, Somerville, New York, Seattle, Rome and Berlin. I enjoy the surprising difference between the camera’s view and my view. Darkness can be mysterious, but these photographs show night’s bright, colorful side.
These photographs reveal two kinds of night light: reflected and glowing light from street lights, traffic signals and signs within the scene. The camera sees these lights differently than the eye. In the darkness of night, luminous artifacts like halos and radial beams around light sources become visible. I like to find water for the lights to reflect from: wet pavement, a fountain, a river where reflections can double the number of visible lights. Ripples in the water and wet rough surfaces like cobble stones add texture to the image.
