Art Center [Nighttime Photography]

PASADENA NIGHTTIME PHOTOGRAPHY

Playing in the woods used to be a real treat as a kid. Even now, on nature walks with family, I usually find myself lagging behind, straggling to flip over a beckoning rock or an old log to see what lurks underneath. A sleepy salamander. Something lost. A diamond in the rough. "Steve, leave that thing alone, and let's go!" lovingly snaps me back on track, but no less curious.

Being a night owl, I'm typically burning the midnight oil editing pictures, not shooting them. Well, last Thursday I dabbled in a photo version of Wife Swap, reversed roles a bit, and hit the town under the cover of night with my camera. It was a great way to challenge myself, see my surroundings differently, and photograph what I might otherwise overlook when out in the sun. In short, shooting at night is just another way of flipping this big city over, belly in the air, and seeing what's on the other side. And boy, what discoveries there are.

I met up with seven other photographers, which is a great way to explore night photography: there's safety in numbers, and, working in a group, day or night, encourages the sharing of ideas and everyone grows. We worked well past midnight, found plenty to photograph in just a few square blocks, and I polished up some selects I thought might be share-worthy.

So, now and then, remember to Flip It. Flip It, Good.