Late-Night Light StalkingI couldn't get enough of the snow yesterday! It's been over a year since I have seen snowfall like this. It reminds me of my time in Fairbanks, Alaska. How I miss those day! After my memorable fat bike ride through the morning snow (see previous post), I set out to explore on foot at night. The way my neighborhood works is that everyone goes to bed at 9:00pm. After that, it's a ghost town, and I like it that way. I frequently walk around the neighborhood around this time because it is peaceful, leaving my mind free to wander without distraction or interruption. Looking back at these photos, I shouldn't be so surprised at how personal they are. Many of my thoughts translated well to the photographic format. However, I may be the only person who sees it. That's the mystery behind any art form. One of the challenges of photographing in a snowstorm is keeping those pesky flakes off of the lens and out of the camera bag. Usually, I like to hunt with one lens, but I love how the NIKKOR 14-24 mm f/2.8 operates at night. After all, I originally purchased the lens to take photographs of the aurora borealis. It is an excellent piece of glass. Alongside that lens, I carried a substantially lighter NIKKOR 50 mm prime lens to capture that painterly quality. Lastly, I threw my not so light Manfrotto/Benro tripod over my shoulder. Sounds were quickly muted by the snow, and I was aware of the sound of my equipment rocking back and forth as I walked down the wet, empty streets. Light from all around the city reflected off of the thick cloud cover, casting a pale, fulvous color over everything. I marched past Christmas lights, darkened homes, and the shifting pale-blue light from televisions in upstairs windows. It was late, much later than 9:00pm. I was feeling very awake and restless, the cup of yerba maté I had consumed was clearly doing the job. I made it to Creekside Park where I had biked only 12 hours before. There were kids sledding down a small hill, but it must have been their last run for the night because they quickly got off of their sleds and headed to the car. Now, I was the only person around, walking intentionally through the deep snow. Even though the water was flowing through Cottonwood Creek at a vigorous pace, its sounds were heavily muffled by the fresh snow. Once I was deep into the woods, all sounds ceased except for the ringing in my ears. I took some long exposures within the dark woods, and played around with movement and focal lengths; I really like the results. Now that we are all thoroughly dizzy, I will say that I always learn something new when I pursue night photography. Sometimes I learn new ways to use my camera and equipment, while other times I discover new things about myself. Either way, it's cheap therapy for body, mind, and soul.
Cheers!
Keywords:
Adventure,
Antler,
Black and White,
Colby,
Creekside,
D800,
Experimental,
Explore,
Exploring,
Long Exposure,
Night,
Nikon,
Park,
Photography,
Salt Lake City,
Snow,
Snowscape,
Street,
Street Lights,
Suburban,
Trees,
Urban,
Utah,
Walking,
Warm Tone,
Winter,
Woods,
Wright
Comments
Troy Smith(non-registered)
Really like the black and whites. The night shots are the best in my opinion. They draw me in and make me feel as though I'm walking into your lens.
Great work.
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