FILM PROJECT
Nocturne 24, Haugesund, Norway
2008, Konica Hexar, Ilford Delta 3200
Something of
the night
Noted film photographer and darkroom expert Mike Crawford talks us through his Nocturne project, shooting cities after dark on film
S
ome photographic projects seem to be easy to start and finish. It always helps if there are plans for an exhibition or publication, while other work may be produced primarily to see if an idea or theme might develop into something interesting. I also appreciate the immediacy of photographing a small series, producing a hand-made artist’s book, or using online printers, considering the project complete.
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24-27 Nocturne Feb15 GH JP.indd 24
However, my series Nocturne, is one best classed as ‘ongoing,’ and one I keep returning to with new ideas and images. While based on the urban landscape at night, it would be difficult to present it as a text book example of how to shootphotograph the city after dark. I purposely limit myself in the equipment and materials used, making things as basic as possible. Indeed I don’t even use a tripod!
What I do want in the work, if not technical perfection, is a sense of mystery, atmosphere and narrative. I want the viewer to be taken on an anonymous walk, exploring hidden corners of cities, brief glimpses observed as darkness encroaches on their streets and buildings. The images are often multilayered, reflections and shadows used to suggest stories within a story. Others are purposely diffuse, unwanted details subdued to leave just shape and form. The series has been photographed in different cities, though initially just London and Berlin, and presented so the viewer is taken on a nocturnal journey through an imagined city. www.amateurphotographer.co.uk
08/02/2022 12:12
