Some Nighttime Street Photography

At night, an entirely different feeling emerges even in a place I’ve become very familiar with.

January 24, 2024

Early in the evening yesterday, I found myself starting to walk home after catching a beer with a local photographer who I’ve grown to respect quite a bit. It was a mild evening, and I had my trusty Canon EOS M50 and its kit 15-45mm zoom lens on me. I stopped in my tracks, turned around, and decided to do a bit of impromptu nighttime street photography.

Storefront light — Canon EOS M50 with Canon EF-M 15-45mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM zoom lens. ISO 3200, 1/80 sec., f/6.3 (left) and ISO 6400, 1/30 sec., f/6.3 (right).

Storefront — Canon EOS M50 with Canon EF-M 15-45mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM zoom lens. ISO 3200, 1/80 sec., f/6.3 (left) and ISO 6400, 1/30 sec., f/6.3 (right).

Even when my camera struggles with the amount of noise that results with a high ISO setting, that noise turns up as a graininess that actually enhances the gritty feel of the black and white image. It’s not too different from the grain of higher-speed black and white film images.

Photographically at least, I feel like I’ve worked the main drag in my town to death... at least during the day. As I looked at very familiar surroundings but in very different light yesterday evening, I was reminded that there is a whole other side to that place that comes out at night. Especially for black and white photography, there are lots of opportunities for images with striking contrast, interesting light and shadows, and an entirely different feeling than what I typically encounter during the day.

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