EDITORS’ PICK
We Own the Night
NIGHT LIFE
Night Life Editors’ Pick
Following Rebecca Morse’s selection of winning images for our recent Night Life competition, this compilation of 20 images represents some of the other talented photographers whose work struck us and left a mark. Each a stunning image worthy of exposure and attention…
When selecting for editor’s picks we’re always searching for those striking photographs that make for an unforgettable single image, whether from a broader series or not. We enjoy the accompanying text some photographers submit with their images, and while not always necessary it can be relevant when understanding the work in full context.
These are intended to be a conversation starter… so feel free to join the discussion on our social networks.
BANNER IMAGE: CHRISTOPHER SOUKUP
Life Framer comment – The fog blankets this scene with mystery, encouraging the viewer to attach nefarious aspects to the lone figure. The photograph guides the viewer’s eye from the faint street lights in the top left corner, across the unknown silhouette, down to the drop into darkness – leaving enough space to fill the frame with questions and doubt. Whether the photographer intends to or not, they have recreated the uneasy feeling of encountering a stranger in the dark.
Photographer statement – “Twists and Turns, San Francisco, 2018.”
ALEXEY KOSORUKOV
Life Framer comment – A little flicker of excitement washes over this scene as we peer at the passing figures through this brightly lit window. The soft mirrored movements of the two subjects, heads down as they pass by, are complemented by the straight lines and structured shapes of the multiple frames within the image. Street photography at night is challenging in its own right, as the photographer relies heavily on the existing, sporadic, artificial light illuminating the moments they aim to capture, however it’s clear this opportunistic shot is crafted with experience, skill and joy.”
MARC TRAUTMANN
Life Framer comment – The viewer is greeted with an intense scene, the quiet surrounding streets a contrast to the unusual drama unfolding for the subject. There is an immediate sense of threat as we contemplate the potential peril that has led to this scenario. Shot like an iconic film still, the photographer has taken great care to make this image full of pensive excitement without needing to capture much action.
Photographer statement – “From my series The Approaching.”
KEVIN RABUCK
Life Framer comment – With this impressive mountainscape the photographer aims to soothe our overstimulated visual senses. Using long exposures of the night sky to enhance the poetic natural beauty of this vista, a single image created to remind us all we have to do is look up when needing an escape from our daily pressures here on terra firma.
Photographer statement – “The darkness of night is our favorite template. In our busy days it is easy to feel overstimulated and difficulty discerning what is most deserving of our attention. But at night, the beauty and the calm of our universe presents herself in such obvious packages.”
YORICKO LIU
Life Framer comment – For a street scene that initially appears laid back, we soon realise it’s a common scene of overworked, under-appreciated young men, fresh off a long day’s labour. The photographer’s skilled approach enables the subjects to take center-stage, leaving the backdrop of the city to melt away. There is a thoughtful approach at play, the photographer ensuring their subjects are understood.
Photographer statement – “Workers hanging out. Singapore imports a large amount of foreign labour to do menial work that most Singaporeans would not normally do. A significant portion comes from Bangladesh. They would often spend the weekends hanging around Little India. Singapore is a country with no natural resources other than its people. As a by-product of that, the working population is overworked just to keep on living in one of the most expensive cities in the world. The night signals the end of the working day and is a sigh of relief for most. What do these people do then? Some slog their way home on their normal commutes, some head to a night spot to let loose work troubles with some drinks, some take a short breather from their shift to call or message their loved ones across the ocean.”
ISABELLE LEVISTRE
Life Framer comment – Lost in layers of drapes an arm emerges – like the photographer’s conscious waking up to the world they had hidden themselves from. Will the subject fully emerge from the material or submerge slowly back into the safety of their cocooned surroundings? The coronavirus pandemic tampered with both people’s physical and mental health, and recovery from the psychological impact has proven to be a challenging one. Cleverly cropped and composed, this image captures the ongoing battle with returning to post pandemic ‘normality’, the soft light just enough to let a quiet sense of comfort and hope wash over the scene.
Photographer statement – “My practice is essentially based on black and white photos. This series is the first that I realize in color. The unexpected circumstances of confinement combined with sudden isolation took me to a strange and silent world where everything seemed unreal and immobile. I tried to transcribe this time travel with this series.”
FELIPE PÉREZ GARRE
Life Framer comment – The caption – Night Getaway – gives a perspective of looking back, as if the photographer is moving away from the cityscape they are framing. The night sky is a welcome tonic to the urban landscape that occupies the bottom half of the scene, the natural beauty shining above the artificial lights below. The photographer didn’t rush this image but took time to cherish and craft the moment.
GÖRAN NILSSON
Life Framer comment – The image is almost halved between light and dark, the dog – small in perspective but large in presence, prevails over the scene, only the moon a superior character. Appearing like an opportunistic shot, the photographer looks up to see the aligning subjects – the simplicity of the photograph is why it works so well.
MARCO DEL ZOTTO
Life Framer comment – The photographer poses the question if “… photography is a possible tool for understanding reality?” as they experiment with artificial light in a semi man-made landscape. Their technique is full of skill, elegance and deep understanding of the technicality of the medium – it takes patience and proficiency to create an image like this. However, this photograph tends to challenge the photographer’s own question rather than answer it.
Photographer statement – “The Land++ series highlights the meaning of certain permanence, no less than that of certain absences, of visible and invisible elements. A game is taking place between the photographer-explorer and us, spectators-detectives in search of narrative clues. The places taken seem to hide in the darkness of the night, and then reveal themselves under artificial lights, bright colors or under the gaze of some statues, silent as gods and the only semi-human witnesses of a silent landscape. The shapes change, chase each other and modify themselves in a deliberately different and mysterious repetition. Subtly disturbing, deliberately open. The photographer not only talks about the places themselves, but also about the photographic medium itself. Is the latter still a possible tool for understanding reality? Yes, the author interrogates the landscape, with the desire to bring out his own experience, in a dialectical relationship between himself and the world. Seeing what you wouldn’t see and understanding what you wouldn’t understand, this is the challenge set and an invitation to us viewers to do the same.”
ANDRÉS GRANOLLERS
Life Framer comment – Almost like a painting, the dark navy gradient, peppered with white grain, envelopes this image without overpowering the scene. The obscure figure appears otherworldly against the galaxy of stars, especially from this low perspective which acts to emphasize the scale. With elements of the supernatural and celestial, it stands alone as an artistic single piece, but could also fit perfectly into a series as an engaging bridge image.”
JUDY LOMBARD
Life Framer comment – Energy and defiance dominates this photograph, the use of black and white boosting its intensity. The subject wears shorts and sunglasses, so it’s only the blurred street and car lights that give an indication that this scene is taking place at night time – maybe the streets are quieter, leaving the bike-rider and photographer to express and experiment with their skills? An exciting snapshot of street culture, aggressively cropped to capture the energy of the moment.
JASON BLAIR
Life Framer comment – The photographer’s sentiments really encapsulate the essence of this image. They want us to acknowledge the beauty that unfolds above our heads on a nightly basis, regardless of where we are or how often we engage with it. The photograph itself draws the viewer in with wondrous tones, a vast landscape and long exposure, creating a sense of peaceful awe and wonder.
Photographer statement – “Whether in city or nature, and while most rest, there is a galvanizing interchange of action and stillness that can be found while wandering the night.”
SERGE BÉGUET
Life Framer comment – Not even the night can hold back the colorful celebrations and traditions of Indian culture, where the dark sky provides the ideal backdrop for flares, fireworks and light displays. These young children are seemingly engrossed in the exhibition in front of them, their expressions ranging from awe and delight to passive and unimpressed. The photographer is quick to take full advantage of this vibrant atmosphere and the distracted subjects to capture this memorable image.
Photographer statement – “Street scene, Rajastan, India.”
MAXIMILIAN GOTTWALD
Life Framer comment – It’s clear from the photographer’s caption they have a genuine love for these cities at night, fully immersing themselves in the sights and sounds. However, they also state how it’s becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish night from day with the amount of artificial light flooding the streets 24 hours a day, elements of this illustrated here with the neon shop signs and lit up windows. It’s almost like a modern, urban mirror of René Magritte’s The Empire of Light. The image is full of detail, offering the viewer something new to observe everytime they look at it.
Photographer statement – “In Asian Dusk – The Empire of Light I document cityscapes and impressions of Asian metropolises. The fast economic, political and demographic growth in Asia is rapidly changing these urban landscapes. Condensation transforms them into dystopias. the excessive use of artificial light, the light pollution, even sometimes makes the night look like day. I try to get a certain order from the urban landscapes, which never come to rest, through the composition of light, color, surface and lines. The human element is often implied in my pictures, but the human being is not visible. this also underlines the anonymity that prevails in large cities. Visiting an Asian city is an overwhelming experience that engages all of the senses. In search of a suitable location, I let myself be driven by the smells and noises of the urban jungle, with the intention of transforming the hectic and chaos into an aesthetic calm and balance.”
WILLIAM HOLDERFIELD
Life Framer comment – A scene seemingly straight from a classic thriller, full of anticipation and apprehension – as if the viewer is waiting for the phone to ring out through the mist and beyond the constraints of the photograph. The photographer takes a fastidious approach to the image, with careful exposure and focus they display an acute sense of how the light works in this environment, perfectly capturing the charged atmosphere.
Photographer statement – “Samples from an ongoing series of images taken in and around Springfield, OR.”
RALPH STRIEWSKI
Life Framer comment – A pensive moment as the subject catches the photographer taking the image, the angle of the shot adding to the awkwardness of the encounter but ultimately creating a unique scene. A strong appreciation of color and pattern is displayed throughout the photograph, with the framing reflecting the ‘passing by’ nature of the photographer’s process and practice.
Photographer statement – “From a series of night life and night emotions on the streets around the world – captured during my short stops in the cities during my work as a pilot.”
MARTIN BRENT
Life Framer comment – How humans attempt to hold back the night is an absorbing concept for a series, the photographer explaining how they draw on a myriad of aspects to build their images. This pensive portrait is surrounded with uncluttered space yet crammed with elements of night life; from the fluorescent lights, to the neon sign, and underground interiors. From this image we can assume this is from an enjoyable and engrossing series.
Photographer statement – “From a camp fire to lighting entire cities, mankind has worked relentlessly to push back the dark yet it inevitably persists, the shadows ever present, waiting to return the instant a light is extinguished. Man’s command persisting only as long as the electrical supply or fuel for the fire lasts. The night not only changes the land, its colours and hues, plants and trees change their physiology but also us humans. We often fear the dark, even in our own homes, our mental state alters, thoughts become concentrated, we often awake with worry and fears, dreams, nightmares, thought processes rush to the front of our mind, even questioning our very identity. “The Night Shift” is an exploration of how humans have sought to mitigate the effects of the shift from daylight to night, it’s effects on the landscape and the people that inhabit it. The images, made using mixed ambient light sources from locations from the USA to Norway, seek to illustrate this phenomenon.”
HIDEKI YURA
Life Framer comment – Free of sound this is a visually pleasing image of order and pattern, laid out below the photographer. The bird’s eye view removes any significant sense of urgency or chaos that may be taking place below, and the smear of headlights further softens it. A skilful capture of the ‘nightly’ grind, using the simple repetition of waiting cars to highlight the mundanity and isolation experienced in a crowded city.
Photographer statement – “The noise, silence, movement, chaos, and solitude of an urban night and atmosphere they create. I like nights when my heart gets a little lonely. Waiting – Clean and polished taxis waiting a long time for customers. It represents current Japanese economy.”
MITJA KOETTER
Life Framer comment – Appearing like a futuristic metropolis, this night-time image of Dubai is exciting and enticing. The photographer has a strong grasp of their skillset and chose an ideal perspective for an optimal view of the sprawling city. A classic night exposure elevated with the pink neon glow, easily enjoyed as a large print work.
Photographer statement – “From my 2077. Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai.”
BLAKE KUNIN
Life Framer comment – This is a sobering sight for the viewer to consume, it’s easy to slip into the mindset of the rioter opposing this wall of police, or even emote with these subjects and the mix of fear and adrenaline they may be experiencing. The darkness of the night absorbs the wider scenes of chaos, allowing the photographer to single out poignant moments like this.
Photographer statement – “One night in NYC during the George Floyd riots.”
