Roaming in the Gloaming

In Night Photography, Street, Urban Exploration
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This month I’ve been going for walks in the early evening. It’s a good time to enjoy the dramatic light of a sunset (provided the skies have not clouded over) but not so dark that I feel unsafe. And the boundary between light and darkness is a magical time.

There’s still some daylight, but lights are coming on inside houses. It’s getting dark, but people have yet to close their curtains. You can hear music practice from inside homes while birds tweet the end of the sunlight in the quiet streets. The current lockdown rules in London only allow us to go out for exercise in our local area, but seeing the familiar streets at this unfamiliar time is like seeing them again for the first time.

The colours seem heightened, as does the contrast between light and darkness, cold without and warmth within. I also get to play with long exposures of passing vehicles, a game that can only be played at dawn or dusk.

Finally, having explored these spaces between night and day, I head home. I step into the fading brightness when leaving the house, and when I return, I step from darkness into light.

kirstin

15 Comments

  1. Love them all but really, really like those long exposures!

  2. This is just the inspiration I need to try some evening photos. I’ve wanted to play with long exposures for some time but I feel a bit intimidated. Thanks for these guiding lights!

  3. Making the familiar unfamiliar with those wonderful long exposures. It is fun to mix things up, especially during these lockdown days.

  4. These are all wonderful, Kirstin. Thank you, you have encouraged me to get out and about as night falls.

  5. Incredibly inspiring! I love the mood you’ve captured!

  6. Yes, I love that metaphorical — and real — walk in the transitioning dark and then into the light.

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