The Edge of Night
After sunset, the sky slowly relinquishes its light to the street lamps, car lights, lighted windows and electric signs of the night. The lights and the darkening sky create intriguing effects. Many places appear unremarkable in the daylight, but as the light shifts and the streets become deserted they take on a fascination that is surreal, but also transient. Whether in a small town or a big city, the streets and alleys of industrial areas and working-class neighborhoods coax one to explore. Many of these neighborhoods have changed; what were once manufacturing plants and warehouses are now high-priced lofts and boutique stores. The mix of old and new in these neighborhoods of converted commercial buildings is intriguing. The long exposures convey a sense of time and motion that would not be recorded in brighter light. There is a sense of stillness and a quietness in these images which are evocative and beautiful.
The idea to create this series was planted in my mind long ago. I have always liked to explore. As a boy growing up in rural New Jersey, I would ride my bicycle on the back roads just to see where they led and to soak in the scenery—houses, farms, bridges—along the way. When the family drove into Brooklyn to visit the grandparents, I would stare out the car window at the docks and freight terminals on Manhattan's west side. On Brooklyn's elevated expressways, I would look out at vast industrial neighborhoods, wondering what it would be like to walk around in them. Now I have begun to satisfy that curiosity. The project continues.
