Bill Brandt
Bill Brandt night time photography work inspired me for my three images. Brandt was commissioned by the same publisher as Brassai’s, ‘Paris at night’ book to photograph ‘A Night in London’. His images have a very dramatic atmosphere because of the extreme contrasts between the light and the shadow. In most of his images he focuses on the architecture of the buildings by using light to illuminate all the detail in areas of it. Brandt uses silhouettes in some of his pictures which make some areas of the image stand out because of how contrasty it is. The silhouettes in his image have inspired me to use silhouettes in my own work so you can see the outline of the building, I also feel it gives the images a very dark and mysterious feel. Brandt uses natural elements in his work such as mist which softens his images as it diffuses the light so the lights not as harsh. The camera angle of the first image is similar to the style of images I want to take for my project, by using a low camera angle Brandt has made the building look very big which is how I want to capture the buildings in my own images. The way Brandt has photographed the city shows the vastness of it, he has done this by showing the scale of buildings and by showing large areas of the city.
O. Winston Link
Link was a night photographer interested in steam trains, he often traveled to small towns in America to photograph different trains of the Western and Norfolk Railway. His series of images were taken between 1955 and 1960, to capture his night scenes Link used flashes wired together along the tracks. This lighting technique illuminates the trains and makes them stand out against the dark night sky. Link’s image’s are very high in contrast because of the amount of flash bulbs used which adds highlights to the images and contrasts against the deep black shadows. Modernisation of the city is represented in Link’s images with how he captures the trains when they are moving, the trains symbolise the way the city is always moving and changing. Link composes his pictures so you can see the trains amongst the rest of the city, by including other elements of the city such as buildings and bridges captures the vastness of it and shows you how much it has changed and modernised over the years. In the images everything is in focus this is because O Winston Link’s would have used a small aperture so there is a large depth of field. Link has included citizens in this image which emphasises the relationship between humans and the city and how they have impacted on the modernisation of it which is also shown in Link’s photo’s.
Steve Fitch
Steve Fitch photographs the American West, he is fascinated with how humans have modernised it and photographs the way in which it’s been changed. Fitch photographs man made areas of the American West in a way which makes them look like iconic landmarks as he singles the buildings out from the rest of the landscape which makes them appear iconic. In some of his images he centre’s the building so it is in the middle of the photo this also makes the building appear very iconic as it is the main focal point. I was inspired by the way he only captures one building and doesn’t include anything around it apart from the night sky which helps to frame the picture and make the building stand out. Fitch uses a slightly low camera angle for many of his pictures which make the buildings appear very important. This technique could also symbolise the modernisation that is happening in the American West. As the photographer has only chosen to have the buildings in the picture and nothing else only they are lit up which makes them look as if they are emerging out of the darkness. I also found this idea really inspiring as I like the way they are surrounded by darkness and look as if they are appearing out of the darkness, I’m going to use a similar technique in my own work as I feel it represents the idea of the city modernising and growing.
Robert Vizinni
Vizinni photographs urban landscapes at night time. He images captures large buildings illuminating in the darkness. The scale of the city is represented by the camera angle the photographer has chosen. By using a low camera angle he has made the buildings appear very large as it makes you look up at them, this is a technique I’m going to use in my own images to show the scale of the buildings to represent modernisation. Vizinni’s has photographed buildings that have lights illuminating from there windows, this makes the buildings look as if they are emerging from the darkness. The lights in the building make the buildings stand out against the dark night sky. Robert Vizinni has used a long shutter speed in his images as he has captured detail in the night sky, some of the sky’s in his images have light trails running through them from when a plane has travelled through the sky. These night time images have a very structured feel because of the repetition and symmetry of the windows in the buildings, they could represent the structure of the city and how it is controlled. Some of the windows are not illuminated which disrupts the repetition of the windows which could symbolise how there is cracks in the way the city is being controlled and how it is structured.
Lynn Saville
When talking about her photography Lynn Saville say’s she ‘works the night shift’. By photographing at night gives you a different perspective of the city and allows you to see it in a different light to one you are use to seeing it in. Saville says that the locations she chooses ‘reveal the city’s dis-location’, the locations she chooses show hidden areas of the city that would usually go by unnoticed such as photographing areas above street level to show the top of large buildings. Her images are only lit by either moon light, advertisement lights, street lights or window lights because of this she has to use long exposures to allow enough light in to the camera to expose the film. Some of her images have a slight blurred effect because of the long shutter speeds she uses which gives her photographs a surreal and dream like feel. The dream like feel her images have is also achieved by photographing at night as you are viewing it in a different way to what you are use to it which makes it have a surreal feel as it’s something you are not use to seeing. In her work she often uses a low camera angle to capture what’s above street level in the city, the camera angle she uses makes the buildings appear very large in scale. By making the viewer look up at the buildings Saville emphasises the way they are towering over the rest of the city which makes them appear very daunting because of there scale in comparison to everything else.
Helen K Garber
Helen K Garber photographs urban landscapes at night. She photographs cities such as Paris, Los Angeles, New York, Italy and Venice. Garber photographs famous landmarks in the city, by capturing them the viewer will automatically recognise them as they are well known and will begin to think of the city they are in. By photographing famous landmarks Garber is in essence taking a photo of the whole city because of how recognisable they are to the city they are in. The famous landmarks are photographed in a way to make them look very important because of how Garber has used a camera angle where it makes you look up at the subject. This technique symbolises the importance of them in there city and how they play an important part in the culture and in how others picture the city. To capture the detail in all of the landmarks a small aperture has been used to show all of there detail. Garber’s photographs almost look like they are documenting the subjects because of how she captures all the detail and only focuses on one building at a time. Helen K Garber also uses close up camera angles to capture different sections of the building, her close up image of the Eiffel tower looks almost abstract because it hards to make out what the subject is. By photographing the landmarks at night makes them appear different to how they look during the day because they are being illuminated in a different way. During the day the subjects are illuminated by natural lighting whereas at night they are being lit up by street lamps this means certain area’s are more highlighted then others. I was inspired by the way buildings are lit up differently at night and it made me want to photograph the city at night as well.
Katherine Moxhet
When night time photographer, Katherine Moxhet was asked why does she photograph at night? she said ‘Perhaps it’s the adventure of exploring new places or seeing familiar places in darkness.Perhaps it’s the visual interest of shapes, shadows, reflections, or a purple sky that makes it cool.’ This is represented through her work , she photographs area’s of the city that have unusual shapes which add interest to her photography. She also photographs areas that are usually overlooked in the city such as the ground and what’s above street level. One of the main focal points in Moxhet’s work is the shadows that she captures, the shadows make the images more relatable as it gives them a realistic feel. When taking the photo’s Moxhet uses a slow shutter speed because she is taking the images in low light conditions, by using a slow shutter speed adds detail to the sky and in some of her images it gives the sky an eerie purple colour. The strange colour of the sky gives the city a haunted feel and makes us look at it in a different way as it appears different from how we normally see it. Katherine Moxhet often uses low camera angle which emphasize the scale of the subjects she is taking. By showing the scale of the buildings make you feel very vulnerable as a viewer because of how it feels as if the tower is towering over you.
Andy Frazer
Photographer Andy Frazer believes that something which has very little appeal during the day comes alive at night. This is represented in his night time photography as he often photographs abandoned and derelict areas in the city. By capturing these area’s at night illuminates them in a different way which makes them stand out. The images were taken at night because of this a long shutter speed would have been used which has created unusual colour’s in the sky this gives the locations a completely different view to how it would look during the day. In some of Frazer’s image’s he has captured movement from subjects such as trains, and stars in the night sky this is caused by the slow shutter speed that has been used. In most of his images Frazer uses a low camera angle which shows of the building’s height. This camera angle also makes you feel vulnerable as a viewer as it feels as if the buildings are towering over you.
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