Night photography

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A long-exposure image of star trails in the night sky above Mount Hood National Forest, Washington, facing north at 6,600 ft (2,000 m) above sea level Night Photography.jpg
A long-exposure image of star trails in the night sky above Mount Hood National Forest, Washington, facing north at 6,600 ft (2,000 m) above sea level

Night photography (also called nighttime photography) refers to the practice of taking photographs outdoors between dusk and dawn, when natural light is minimal or nonexistent. Recognized as a photographic genre for more than a century, it is valued for its distinctive visual atmosphere and expressive potential. This status has been reinforced by major institutional exhibitions such as Night Vision at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Night Light: A Survey of 20th Century Night Photography, organized by the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in 1989, which toured nationally; both exhibitions underscored the genre’s historical and artistic significance. [1] [2]

Contents

The low-light conditions night photographers work in require specialized techniques to achieve proper exposure, including long exposures—ranging from several seconds to days—higher ISO sensitivity, or artificial lighting. Advances in cameras, lenses, high-speed films, and high-sensitivity digital sensors have made it increasingly feasible to photograph at night using only available light, resulting in a growing body of nocturnal photography. [3] Software innovations have also further expanded the creative and technical possibilities of low-light photography.

The genre encompasses a wide range of subjects, including urban and rural landscapes, architecture, industrial sites, and astrophotography. In addition to its technical applications, night photography has contributed significantly to both artistic and documentary traditions since the 19th century.

History

Early Experiments (1839–1880s)

Night photography emerged alongside the earliest photographic processes, though initial attempts were primarily scientific rather than artistic. These early experiments focused on astronomical subjects rather than the urban or terrestrial scenes that would later characterize the genre. Louis Jacques Mandé Daguerre attempted to photograph the Moon on January 2, 1839, using his newly invented daguerreotype process. However, tracking errors during the extended exposure resulted in an indistinct image. [4]

The first moon photograph by John W. Draper, 1840 John W Draper-The first Moon Photograph 1840.jpg
The first moon photograph by John W. Draper, 1840

The first documented successful lunar photograph was achieved by John William Draper on March 23, 1840. Working from his New York University rooftop with a 5-inch (13 cm) reflector, Draper used an exposure time of approximately 20 minutes. [5] This photograph, recognized as the first clear representation of the moon's surface, established the foundation for astrophotography. Subsequent technical developments, particularly mechanical clock drives that compensated for Earth's rotation, enabled photographers to capture increasingly detailed images of the night sky. [6] [7]

Late 19th Century Developments (1870s-1900)

Technological advances in the second half of the 19th century made artistic night photography increasingly practical. The introduction of gelatin dry plate|gelatin dry plate negatives, first proposed by Richard Leach Maddox in 1871 and developed into a commercially viable process by the 1880s, significantly increased photographic sensitivity and reduced exposure times compared to earlier wet collodion methods. [8] These improvements enabled photographers to document urban environments under low-light conditions.

**A Wet Night, Columbus Circle** by William A. Fraser William A. Fraser - A Wet Night, Columbus Circle - Google Art Project.jpg
**A Wet Night, Columbus Circle** by William A. Fraser

Photographers began experimenting with nocturnal subjects including gas-lit streets, moonlit architecture, and carefully staged scenes. British photographer Paul Martin's London by Gaslight series (1896) represented one of the earliest successful artistic applications of controlled illumination in night photography, subsequently influencing Alfred Stieglitz's nocturnal work. [9]

By the 1890s, night photographs began appearing in exhibitions and photographic salons, marking the medium's recognition as a legitimate artistic subject. [10] A Wet Night, Columbus Circle (c. 1897–98) by William A. Fraser exemplifies this period's achievements.

Pictorialism and the Photo-Secession (1900–1930s)

The early 20th century saw the emergence of night photography as an expressive artistic medium. Alfred Stieglitz developed innovative techniques for capturing urban scenes under low-light and adverse weather conditions, exemplified by his photograph Spring Showers (1900). [11] Following the establishment of the Photo-Secession movement in 1902, Stieglitz and his associates embraced night photography for its expressive and symbolic potential, aligning with Pictorialist objectives to elevate photography to the status of fine art. [12]

The proliferation of electric street lighting after the 1880s created new aesthetic possibilities, encouraging photographers to explore relationships between artificial illumination, natural light, and shadow in urban environments. [13] [14] Despite these advances, night photography remained relatively uncommon during this period, with most practitioners creating isolated images rather than sustained bodies of work.

This approach began to change in the 1930s with Brassaï's Paris de nuit (1932), a self-published volume that brought widespread attention to night photography as a serious artistic genre. [15] Working with a tripod and slow film, Brassaï documented Parisian streets, cafés, brothels, and fog-shrouded alleys, creating atmospheric images that captured the psychological dimensions of the nocturnal city. British photographer Bill Brandt, influenced by Brassaï's work, [16] began his A Night in London project, utilizing wartime blackout conditions to photograph scenes illuminated only by moonlight and ambient sources, supplemented by newly developed flashbulbs. [17] Both photographers produced the first comprehensive bodies of night photography, establishing it as a distinct photographic genre.

Mid-Century Innovation (1940s–1950s)

The postwar period through the 1950s witnessed night photography's development as both a documentary and expressive medium, influenced by urbanization, cultural shifts, and significant technical advances. Arthur Fellig, known professionally as Weegee, developed a distinctive approach beginning in the late 1930s and continuing through the 1950s. In contrast to Brassaï's atmospheric imagery, Weegee documented New York City's nocturnal underworld of crime and violence. His flash-illuminated scenes of criminal activity and urban spectacle combined photojournalistic documentation with sensationalistic presentation, utilizing the fast sheet films and powerful flashbulbs available at the time. [18]

O. Winston Link represented another significant development in mid-century night photography, distinguished by technical ambition and nostalgic subject matter. Beginning in the late 1940s, Link photographed steam locomotives of the Norfolk and Western Railway, the last major American railroad operating steam engines in commercial service. Anticipating their obsolescence, Link undertook a comprehensive documentation project of the disappearing steam era. [19] His nighttime photographs employed elaborate multi-flash lighting arrangements requiring extensive planning and staging. Works such as Hotshot Eastbound (1956) combined technical precision with romanticized depictions of mid-century American life. [20] Link's innovations advanced the technical capabilities of flash photography and influenced subsequent night photography practice. [21]

Technical Advances of the 1950s

The 1950s brought significant technological developments that impacted night photography practice. The introduction of faster film emulsions, notably Kodak Tri-X in 1954 roll-film formats, enabled handheld photography and shorter exposure times under low-light conditions. [22] Simultaneously, improvements in artificial lighting technology, including more reliable flashbulbs and the emergence of compact electronic strobes, expanded creative and practical possibilities for night photographers, supporting increased mobility and expressive control. [23]

Expansion and Diversification (1960s–1990s)

From the 1960s through the mid-1990s, night photography evolved from a specialized practice into an established component of contemporary photographic art, embraced by diverse practitioners and artistic approaches.

Pioneering Contemporary Approaches

Richard Misrach's Night Desert series (1975–1977) marked a significant development in contemporary fine art night photography. [24] Working in the Nevada desert, Misrach employed strobe lighting to illuminate desert flora—cacti, creosote bushes, and other vegetation—against dark backgrounds, creating images that combined naturalistic documentation with surreal visual effects. The project's integration of stark desert landscapes with theatrical lighting techniques, combined with Misrach's distinctive split-tone printing process, advanced night photography toward conceptual artistic practice. [25] Critics have noted that Night Desert established atmospheric and technical approaches that influenced Misrach's subsequent large-format color work and inspired later photographers exploring nocturnal landscape photography. [26]

Steve Fitch, a colleague of Misrach, [27] contributed to the development of contemporary night photography through his systematic documentation of roadside America during the 1970s and 1980s. Working primarily in the American West, Fitch employed long exposures to capture illuminated motels, diners, and drive-in theaters against the darkness of rural landscapes. [28] His series including Diesels and Dinosaurs and Vanishing Vernacular documented the changing character of highway culture, utilizing available artificial light sources to reveal architectural details and signage. [29] [30] Fitch's approach combined documentary methodology with aesthetic consideration, creating a visual archive of American roadside culture while establishing night photography as a means of cultural documentation. [31]

George Tice established night photography within fine art photography traditions through work that combined documentary precision with poetic sensibility. [32] As a master printer and formalist, Tice demonstrated exceptional tonal control in his nocturnal images of American towns and industrial subjects. [33] His photograph Petit's Mobil Station, Cherry Hill, New Jersey (1974) transforms a suburban gas station into a contemplative scene through fluorescent illumination and is now held in major museum collections including the Museum of Modern Art, Toledo Museum of Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Cleveland Museum of Art, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Birmingham Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design Museum, and the Minneapolis Institute of Art. [34]

Twilight and Transitional Light

Joel Meyerowitz and Jan Staller significantly expanded night photography through their exploration of twilight and transitional lighting conditions. Meyerowitz, primarily known for color street photography, investigated atmospheric possibilities during dusk in his Cape Light series (1978). [35] Working along the Massachusetts coastline with an 8×10 view camera, he documented the interplay between natural and artificial light during the "blue hour" following sunset, emphasizing the painterly qualities of ambient twilight. [36] [37]

Concurrently, Staller's Frontier New York series (1977–1984) documented abandoned sections of the West Side Highway. His work utilized the distinctive orange cast of sodium vapor streetlights against fading daylight to create urban landscape photographs. [38] [39]

Staller's approach emphasized the sculptural qualities of roadside infrastructure and urban decay, presenting industrial subjects with monumental character through twilight's transformative illumination. [40] Both photographers established twilight as a legitimate subject for sustained artistic investigation, expanding aesthetic possibilities within the transitional period between day and night.

International and Street Photography Approaches

Japanese photographer Daidō Moriyama incorporated night photography as a central element in his street photography practice. [41] A key figure in the Provoke movement, Moriyama was influenced by William Klein and Jack Kerouac, and developed a distinctive style emphasizing urban disorder and visual fragmentation. [42] Working handheld in dimly lit streets, he employed high-contrast, heavily grained techniques with intentional blur to depict nocturnal cityscapes. [43]

Characterized by harsh shadows, neon illumination, and distorted perspectives, his images prioritized subjective interpretation over conventional documentary clarity. Moriyama's approach utilized night photography as a vehicle for artistic expression rather than observational documentation. [44] His later Women in the Night series (1990s) demonstrated a shift toward controlled interior scenes, contrasting with the spontaneous street photography that defined his earlier work. [45]

The New Topographics Influence

Robert Adams, long associated with the New Topographics, made a significant contribution to the night photography genre when he published Summer Nights (1985), later expanded as Summer Nights, Walking (2009). [46] [47] Influential to many night photographers, including Alec Soth [48] and Todd Hido, [49] Adams’ series captured suburban scenes in Colorado during dusk and early night. Portraying trees, houses, and empty streets in soft light and deep shadow, Adams’s images explore intimacy, quietude, and the fragile beauty of everyday life. [50]

Minimalism

British photographer Michael Kenna emerged as a commercially successful practitioner specializing in meditative night photography. [51] [52] Kenna's black-and-white landscapes, typically photographed between dusk and dawn, encompassed locations including San Francisco, Japan, France, and England. His subjects ranged from industrial sites such as Ford Motor Company's Rouge River plant and England's Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station to historically significant locations including Nazi concentration camps across Europe.

The Digital Revolution and Contemporary Practice (1990s–Present)

Night photography has developed into a diverse field since the late 20th century, shaped by technological innovations and expanding artistic approaches. Digital photography has emerged as a viable medium offering enhanced sensitivity and control under low-light conditions. [53] Contemporary night photography encompasses staged and cinematic tableaux, suburban narratives, street photography, astrophotography, light painting, and site-specific urban and landscape documentation. These varied practices reflect the genre's expansion from its early specialized origins into a conceptually and aesthetically diverse field integrated into broader photographic practice. [54]

Digital Technology Impact

The introduction of digital cameras in the late 20th century marked a transformative period for night photography. Improvements in sensor sensitivity (ISO performance), noise reduction capabilities, and dynamic range enabled documentation of scenes previously impractical to capture on film, particularly under low-light conditions. Digital systems allowed immediate exposure review, encouraging experimentation with extended exposures, color balance, and artificial lighting techniques. These developments increased night photography's accessibility to broader practitioner communities and enabled new approaches including high-ISO handheld work, light painting, and digitally composited imagery. [55] [56]

Advanced image-processing software further enhanced night photography possibilities. Programs including Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, Capture One Pro, and DxO PhotoLab provide sophisticated noise reduction, tonal adjustment, and color correction capabilities. Techniques such as exposure stacking and high dynamic range (HDR) imaging became standard practices in astrophotography and urban night photography. [57] [58] Many photographers continuing to work with film photography now employ digital tools during scanning and post-production, establishing hybrid workflows as standard contemporary practice. [59]

Continued Film Evolution

Film photography technology continued evolving into the 21st century, maintaining relevance despite digital photography's advances. High-speed emulsions such as Kodak T-MAX P3200, reintroduced in 2018, provided expanded creative possibilities for handheld photography under low-light conditions. [60] Slide films including Fuji Velvia and Fuji Provia|Provia incorporated improved reciprocity failure control, reducing color shifts and sensitivity loss during extended exposures. [61] [62] These refinements ensured analog workflows remained viable for photographers attracted to film's distinctive tonal and color characteristics.

Leading Contemporary Practitioners

Todd Hido is an American photographer renowned for his luminous color images of suburban houses at night, devoid of people, often illuminated solely by the glow of interior lights visible through windows. [63] His work blends documentary and psychological elements, evoking a sense that "the planet on which we exist seems like unfamiliar territory; strange and bewildering." [64] Hido typically employs long exposures and available light, producing images that balance realism and fiction. His night photographs have been widely exhibited and collected, and are frequently cited as influential within the genre. [65]

Gregory Crewdson is known for his elaborately staged and theatrical photographs depicting the iconography of everyday objects and figures within the American landscape. [66] He approaches night photography through elaborate, engineered productions that draw heavily on cinematic language. Working with large crews, film lights, and extensive set design, Crewdson constructs nocturnal tableaux depicting small-town streets, houses, and interiors with heightened dramatic tension. While technically rooted in photography, his large-format images blur the line between still photography and film production. Crewdson's work has expanded the scope of night photography by demonstrating how the medium can operate on a theatrical and narrative scale. [67] [68]

Diverse Contemporary Approaches

Contemporary night photography has diversified through various artistic and technical approaches beyond Hido's and Crewdson's established methods. Australian photographer Trent Parke has integrated night photography into street photography practice, employing dramatic contrast and available light to create psychologically charged urban imagery. [69] Barbara Bosworth has incorporated astrophotography into landscape photography, emphasizing the cosmic dimensions of nocturnal imagery. [70] Light painting has gained prominence through Troy Paiva's ongoing documentation of abandoned spaces illuminated with handheld lights during extended exposures. [71]

These developments have been influenced by Lance Keimig's photographic practice and his publication Night Photography: Finding Your Way in the Dark (2010), which has become an established resource for photographers exploring night photography techniques. [72] [73]

Regional and Documentary Projects

The genre has expanded through numerous site-specific and documentary initiatives. Dave Jordano's Detroit Nocturne (2018) documented the city's nighttime urban landscape, reflecting themes of urban transformation and decay. [74] Peter Ydeen's more intimate series Easton Nights, inspired by George Tice, [75] presents what is described as "a narrative of Easton on one hand and the American journey, as a whole, on the other." [76] Patrick Joust has produced extensive documentation of Baltimore's nighttime character over more than a decade. [77] Through focus on specific urban nighttime landscapes, these photographers demonstrate night photography's development as a regionally grounded practice, revealing local particularities while addressing broader cultural narratives.

Film vs Digital in Night Photography

The choice between film and digital photography for night photography involves distinct technical and aesthetic considerations. While digital technology has largely dominated contemporary practice due to its technical advantages and cost efficiency, film continues to offer unique qualities that attract many night photographers.

Digital Advantages

Film Advantages

Contemporary Practice

The choice between film and digital in contemporary night photography often depends on aesthetic preferences, project requirements, and workflow priorities rather than purely technical considerations. While digital's technical capabilities, cost-effectiveness, and flexibility have made it the dominant choice for most applications, film continues to attract photographers seeking its distinctive tonal qualities and deliberate working process. [91] Many contemporary practitioners employ hybrid workflows, combining film capture with digital scanning and post-production to leverage the advantages of both mediums. [92]

Moonlight photography

Moonlight photography (capturing scenes on Earth illuminated by moonlight) greatly differs from lunar photography (capturing scenes on the Moon illuminated by direct sunlight). The Moon has an effective albedo of approximately 0.12, comparable to worn asphalt concrete. Since the Moon is essentially a dark body in direct sunlight, photographing its surface needs an exposure comparable to what a photographer would use for ordinary, mid-brightness surfaces (buildings, trees, faces, etc.) with an overcast sky.

The sunlight reflected from the full Moon onto Earth is about 1/250,000 of the brightness of direct sunlight in daytime. Since log2(250,000) = 17.93..., full-moon photography requires 18 stops more exposure than sunlight photography, for which the sunny 16 rule is a commonly used guideline. [93]

Flash photography

Flash photography is the process of using artificial lighting to illuminate an object or scene. [94] Flashes are used it is to stop a moving object in motion. Typically this is done with wireless strobes strategically placed to control the spread of light on a scene. These light have radio receivers and is triggered by a transmitter placed in the cameras hotshoe and sends a signal once the cameras shutter is pressed. Before modern DSLR cameras and electronic flashes, flashes were wired for power and trigger signal. These lights sometimes had 1-25 individual lightbulbs. These lightbulbs were only good for one-time use. After the photo they would have to be replaced. [95]

Equipment Used by Notable Night Photographers

A comprehensive overview of cameras, lenses, and techniques used by influential night photography practitioners.

PhotographerActive PeriodPrimary Camera(s)LensesFilm/SensorLighting EquipmentNotable Techniques
EARLY PIONEERS (1840s–1920s)
Louis Daguerre 1839 Camera Obscura Daguerreotype cameraCustom telescope attachmentTreated silver-plated copper sheets with iodineNatural moonlightFirst attempted lunar photography [96]
John William Draper 1840 Daguerreotype camera3-inch lens (76mm) [97] Daguerreotype platesNatural moonlight (with heliostat)First successful moon photograph
ARTISTIC PIONEERS (1900s–1940s)
Alfred Stieglitz 1900s–1920sLarge format view camerasVarious large format lensesGlass plates, early filmAvailable lightPioneered artistic night street photography [98]
Brassaï 1930s Voigtländer BergheilStandard 105mm lensGlass plates initially, later filmStreet lights, available urban lightingLong exposures up to 15 minutes; Paris de Nuit series (1933) [99]
Bill Brandt 1940s Rolleiflex [100] 75 mm Tessar f/3.5 lens120 roll filmMoonlight during London blackoutsExploited WWII blackout conditions
MID TO LATE 20TH CENTURY (1950s–1980s)
O. Winston Link 1950s4×5 vSpeed Graphic [101] Wide-angle view camera lenses4×5 sheet filmMultiple synchronized flash units (up to 42 bulbs)Elaborate flash setups; documented last steam trains
George Tice 1960s–early 2000's8×10 Deardorff view cameraLarge format lenses, wide-angle to normalGlass Negatives (occasional sheet film) [102] Available light, twilight conditionsPaterson, NJ series; urban landscapes at dusk
Daido Moriyama 1960s–1980s Nikon F, later compact camerasWide-angle lenses, 28mm preferred35mm B&W film, high contrastAvailable street lighting, neon signsGritty urban night scenes; high grain aesthetic
Robert Adams (photographer) 1970s–1980s Hasselblad 500 series80mm and 60mm lensesMedium format B&W filmNatural and available lightQuiet suburban and semi-rural nightscapes; subtle tonal range
Joel Meyerowitz 1970s8×10 Deardorff view camera [103] Wide-angle view camera lenses8×10 color negative filmNatural twilight, available lightCape Light series; large format color
Richard Misrach 1975–19772 1/4 medium format camera / 8 x 10 large format view camera [104] Various view camera lensesB&W roll film for 2 1/4 and sheet film for colorstrobelight [105] Desert flora series / Stonehenge / The Acropolis : long exposures
Jan Staller 1977–1984Large format view cameraWide-angle view camera lensesColor negative sheet filmSodium vapor street lightsUrban decay documentation; color temperature mixing
CONTEMPORARY ERA (1990s–present)
Michael Kenna 1990s–present Hasselblad 503CW, Pentax 67Wide-angle to normal lenses Ilford FP4+, HP5+ (B&W)Available light, moonlightLong exposures (up to 10 hours); minimalist compositions
Todd Hido 1990s–present Mamiya RZ67, later digital medium formatMedium format lensesColor negative, later digitalSuburban house lighting, street lightsSuburban night scenes; warm artificial lighting
Troy Paiva2000s–present Canon EOS series DSLRsWide-angle zooms, 14–24mmDigital sensorsColored gels, flashlights, LED panelsLight painting techniques; abandoned locations
Lance Keimig2000s–presentCanon 5D series, Nikon D85014–24mm f/2.8, 24–70mm f/2.8Full-frame digital sensorsLED panels, flashlights, light painting toolsTeaching workshops; technical innovation

Notable exhibitions

Notable exhibitions that have focused on Night photography include the following:

Published night photographers

This section includes the most significant night photographers who have published books dedicated to night photography, and some of their selected works. Additional publications can be found in further reading.

A London taxi turning outside the railway station at Sutton, London Long exposure night shot of Sutton pace.jpg
A London taxi turning outside the railway station at Sutton, London
The Singapore skyline at night Singapore Skyline Raffles Place.jpg
The Singapore skyline at night
An aerial photograph of Los Angeles County at night Los Angeles night aerial.jpg
An aerial photograph of Los Angeles County at night
Mariehamn, a capital of Aland, at night Mariehamn at night.jpg
Mariehamn, a capital of Åland, at night

See also

References

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Further reading


  1. O'Hagan, Sean (2012-09-29). "Cardiff After Dark by Maciej Dakowicz". The Observer. ISSN   0029-7712 . Retrieved 2024-01-23.
  2. Burdekin, Harold; Morrison, John (1934). London Night. Collins. OCLC   467053.
  3. "Frontier New York – Jan Staller". www.janstaller.net.