The night as a subject seems contradictory for the camera, which is a machine reliant on light. If night is defined as the period of the day where light is absent, then a device which needs light to produce pictures seems to be not operational.

Of course, this is hypothetical. At least in an urban setting. In effect, a city at night contains much more different sources of light than during the day, when only the sun is shining. However, these mostly do not provide an adequate amount of brightness for the camera to be operational. Except when using a longer exposure time, the usage of a flash bulb becomes essential.

In fact, these photographs could have not come into being as they are if it were not for the aid of a flash. To me the effect of flash at night in combination with black and white seems interesting. The reason being the contrast between the rather dark environment and the sudden intrusion of a burst of artificial light.

This is not to say that these pictures were purely born out of a technical interest in the aforementioned effect. The night as the source (or environment) of subjects not always available during the daytime is another factor to be considered. Drunk people spill onto the streets, the general atmosphere changes, activities considered as socially unacceptable during the daytime become commonplace. Taking pictures of people with a flash might be one of them.

The photographs above are not neccesarily a technical study or a sociological inquiry. Maybe they are both. Maybe they are just an impression of night time seen through my eyes and mediated by the camera. Maybe these explanations are rooted in the assumptions about the characteristics of photographs.

The narrative is up to you. That is why this text is placed after the pictures. Thank you for reading and have a nice weekend.