One day during the winter months of 2007 I was in the local Barnes & Noble and was browsing over the photography books when I happened across the book Nocturnes, by Chris Faust. I thought to myself "Hey! I like night photography!" and opened up Nocturnes to take a peek. What I saw stunned me.
As expected it was a night photograph which I found myself looking at. What made this one unique was that I knew exactly where Chris was standing when he took the photo. I've walked though the scene he was depicting hundreds of times while on recreational walks as it was less then a mile from several locations I have lived at over the years.
I took a moment to verify that I hadn't accidentally stumbled into the Regional Artists section of Barnes & Noble. Nope. I wasn't in the Regional Artists section. Nocturnes was in the same sections where Barnes & Noble puts the big shot names like Ansel Adams and Edward Weston into. Seeing photographs that were so close to home in this section was a brand new experience for me. I purchased my copy right then.
Nocturnes consists of seventy four black and white night time photos taken at various locations throughout the United States and Canada. Almost all of the images are panoramic photos taken with a medium format Fuji G617 camera. A lot of the photos in Nocturnes are taken during the dark, cold winter nights of Minnesota.
It was Chris Faust's winter photos of rural Minnesota in Nocturnes which really drew me into this book. From the back alleys of St. Paul, to photographs taken nearly on my doorstep, these particular photos made me realize something big. I was a fan of doing night photography, and I love snow and cold winter scenes. Why the hell haven't I ever combined the two? I blame Nocturnes for getting me back into night photography, and for getting me hooked on doing it heavily during the winter months.
As far as night photography goes, Nocturnes is a winner. Unless you are like a former roommate of mine who looked though my copy and responded with "I'm not impressed. It looks like every day of my life." I like to take his comment as proof that Christ Faust has captured the region perfectly.
Additional Resources
- Chris Faust's Web Site
- Nocturnes, by Chris Faust [amazon.com link]
- The Essence of the Night: A painter and a photographer explore the Midwestern night
- The Cultural Landscapes Of Chris Faust
Still Remembering Winter
Wasteland Photography
Bookshelf
Remembering Winter
64 Examples of Stunning, Breathtaking or Amazing Photography Lists
January 3rd, 2010 at 7:27 pm
I'm trying to imagine standing outside in that, much less setting up for a shot.
Sounds like the right challenge for you though.
January 3rd, 2010 at 7:50 pm
Its not so bad, so long as the temperature is above 10F. Moving and having a nice thick coat helps a lot.
This week has been brutal though so I've been staying in. Yesterday morning when we went to get coffee it was -12F, feels like -35F. Yeah. Not going out in that.
March 27th, 2010 at 7:27 pm
Night photography is my thing too.
The trouble around here is not so much cold as rain - rain, rain, rain. I've discovered the solution: it's called Holga. If it gets wet, who cares? It's $25 worth of plastic. But it gives you a big fat square negative all the same. I'm OK with the vignetting and softness around the edges.
Anyway, back to the book: another interesting recommendation. There are too many good night photographers out there. It can be either inspiring or discouraging, depending on how you look at it.
March 28th, 2010 at 9:57 am
Rain is the worst. Give me snow over it any day. The good thing about most snow, is that when it hits your camera, it'll either bounce of, or can easily be brushed off. Rain likes to stick to the lens. I hate that.