Photographing the "Endless Diversity" of America by Streetlight

By photographer Daniel Freeman

 

LINK -- -- -- Photographing the "endless diversity" of America by streetlight

Thanks for posting the link. This is a great story with great photographs.

 

When I saw the first photograph in the story I had to admit the photographer had great taste and a great eye for Americana. I was passing through Salina UT back in 2016 and I was captured by the same scene. Below is one of several I got of the cafe. Seeing his version I regret not returning after sunset.

 

As it happens I've eaten at Mom's Cafe in Salina. (I think I had the open-faced hot roast beef sandwich.) John, thank you for sharing. This is a fascinating alternative look at my own haunts. I've driven through many small American towns late at night, but it never occurred to me to stop and make photographs. I'll have to re-think that now.

By photographer Daniel Freeman

 

LINK -- -- -- Photographing the "endless diversity" of America by streetlight

 

John, these shots are wonderful; thanks for the OP. It reminds me that I need to spend more time practicing night photography.

Thanks for posting. Superb shots, and an inspiration for folks like me who have done a little night photography.

I hope no-one is assuming they are my pictures! I wish ...

 

Thanks.

 

Many of these images, both in the OP and in the responses, have a wonderful Hopper-like quality.

 

I've been watching a rerun of Ken Burns' JAZZ , and one of the things I enjoy about the series is the wonderful old footage of cities at night.

Route 66 through Barstow, California, on a photo tour with "He Who Will Not Be Named"...

Here's another from that same trip:

The diversity of America at night includes thriving urban areas too:

 

Man I've been feeling like taking a photo-only road trip... this adds fuel to the fire for sure.

Great photos, thanks for posting this inspirational work.

I love natural night lights - Freeman's work is beautiful and inspirational for sure. I enjoy his focus on current images of an earlier time in the linked gallery (Midnight on Main). But I see a measure of melancholy in them. Night lighting can bring out the drama and contrast in contemporary pictures of historic scenes - here's one of the Birchrunville Store Cafe, which was built about 125 years ago and still shares the tiny building with the local post office.

 

 

But I like the technique just as much as a frame for the verve and vivacity of modern life. Here are a few from Tel Aviv and Singapore:

 

 

 

 

Could not get link to load photos. Went to his website. Yes, nice photos. You can buy his book if you like. I wonder how much he spent on the trips and all?

 

Night / low light photography is nothing new to me. I started back in 1970. Have shots tens of thousands of night / low light photos.

 

 

But I'm NOT a tripod shooter. I usually do street photos with people in them. I wrote a very long article about night / low level shooting. But it is probably too strong to post link here.

 

 

I was doing a project on NYC steam, when virus hit I bugged out of NYC and that was that.

 

 

 

 

 

My favorite was shooing IR flash in the dark....candid. But virus killed it.

 

 

 

But I am also highly skilled at no flash night work...candid...in places where photography is outlawed...

 

Midnight in Pasadena.

 

It looks like I used flash with this, but some streetlights show, too.

(Another) midnight in Pasadena.

 

I believe this is with Ektachrome 400, not long after it came out, so I could do this without flash.

Wow, great photos, everyone! I'm fascinated with nighttime, low light, and long exposure photos. I've shot some, but not with any people in them. As a total noob, of course it's all been hit-&-miss and strictly guesswork. But some have worked out OK, at least to my eye. Here are some I've been happy with, beginning with a deserted city pandemic shot, downtown Harrisburg Pennsylvania.

 

 

next up are 2 more from Harrisburg, our state capitol and nearby city.

 

 

Spent a few years working concerts & other gigs in Washington, DC. Getting off work in a city at 3 AM makes for some great urban night shooting. Here are 2 different exposures of the same scene. 1st the longer exp

 

 

 

the Chinatown "Gate" at 7th and H

 

 

and finally, a shot taken from the WWII memorial

 

 

finally- I've not shot much color film at night. I have a hankering to shoot some Cinestill 800T so I may try that out at some point. But here is a scene I shot last summer in Greensboro NC. The shot below was shot I believe on Ektar 100- I had been shooting some and had a few shots left on a roll so when I found myself in Greensboro, I finished off a rolll with a couple shots of this burger joint. This was medium format 6X6 and the shot was cropped to a free form rectangle.

 

 

I've not taken a trip ever that was dedicated to shooting photos. As mentioned earlier in this thread, I have an increasing desire to do so. The OP with his trips to the U.S. to shoot small towns in Middle America by streetlights is super inspirational.

Edited April 10, 2021 by Ricochetrider

Forgot about night shooting with film a couple years ago at The Race Of Gentlemen in Wildwood NJ. Here’s a last shot on Portra 160, a little closer to what the OP was doing.

 

cheers

 

http://ricochetridersmotomojo.zenfolio.com/img/s/v-10/p3663609021-4.jpg

I had to join the party. From Times Square

 

Edited April 10, 2021 by michaellinder

One more . . . shot in Nashville