Somerville at Night

A months ago I attended a night photography workshop in Somerville, NJ led by photographer Loren Fisher. I’ve completed workshops and field trips on night photography with various instructors. Each instructor provides a different perspective and I was curious as to what Loren might do in this workshop.

We started in the Somerville Cemetery, a cemetery that has some large and spooky looking monuments. We met at Loren’s home in Somerville and drove over in a rented commuter van. We arrived at the cemetery before it was dark so there would still be some light in the sky to help set up the cameras. We had a full view of the night sky but as a state sandwich between two large metropolitan cities, there is so much light pollution in New Jersey that few stars are visible.

Loren gave the group some tips on setting our cameras for some light painting. I think I had an easier time setting up my camera. Changing the ISO, shutter speed and aperture was as easy as turning a dial. Loren used various coloured flashlights to illuminate dark objects — monuments and trees — in the cemetery. I am sure that for drivers passing by we made for a strange sight.

Somerville at Night—FujiFilm X-T2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR — © 28 September, 2018 by Khürt L. Williams

After we got out of the cemetery -- the zombies must have been on holiday -- we drove to downtown Somerville.

We some light painting on several buildings in downtown Somerville including the Somerset County Courthouse and the Somerset Hotel. The Somerset Hotel sign on the roof isn’t lit so Loren used his flashlight to add some light. I combined two shots of the hotel to create this final image; one with the hotel sign lit by Loren's flashlight and the other with a better light trail.

Somerville at Night—FujiFilm X-T2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR — © 28 September, 2018 by Khürt L. Williams
Somerville at Night—FujiFilm X-T2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR — © 28 September, 2018 by Khürt L. Williams

We also played with some long exposure tricks, like spinning the camera while photographing neon signs. It was a lot of fun.

Somerville at Night—FujiFilm X-T2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR — © 28 September, 2018 by Khürt L. Williams
Somerville at Night—FujiFilm X-T2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR — © 28 September, 2018 by Khürt L. Williams
Somerville at Night—FujiFilm X-T2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR — © 28 September, 2018 by Khürt L. Williams

We stopped at the intersection of North Bridge Street and Main Street to photography the light trails left by the tails lights of cars. Pedestrians and diners leaving bars and restaurants stopped to ask what was going on. Some of them looked at our group with a quizzical look. I imagined that some were thinking “what kind of weirdos stand out in the cold on street corners with a camera.”

Somerville at Night—FujiFilm X-T2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR — © 28 September, 2018 by Khürt L. Williams
Somerville at Night—FujiFilm X-T2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR — © 28 September, 2018 by Khürt L. Williams
Somerville at Night—FujiFilm X-T2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR — © 28 September, 2018 by Khürt L. Williams

One of our commented that a particular police car had driven by in both directions several times. Eventually, he stopped in the road and called out from his patrol car to ask what was going on. I don’t think he liked our answer. He drove away with an annoyed look. What does it say about our society if photography is a suspicious activity?

Somerville at Night—FujiFilm X-T2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR — © 28 September, 2018 by Khürt L. Williams
Somerville at Night—FujiFilm X-T2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR — © 28 September, 2018 by Khürt L. Williams

We finished the night on Division St., a pedestrian mall about half way down North Bridge Street.

Somerville at Night—FujiFilm X-T2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR — © 28 September, 2018 by Khürt L. Williams
Somerville at Night—FujiFilm X-T2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR — © 28 September, 2018 by Khürt L. Williams

Quotidian object and buildings and scenes look very different and interesting at night. This was the purpose of the workshop.

Author: Khürt Williams

A human who works in information security and enjoys photography, Formula 1 and craft ale. #nobridge

34 thoughts on “Somerville at Night”

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  25. Khürt, enjoyed reading this on my phone before I saw the BlogGo theme today from the desktop. Nice theme choice.

    I own a Pixel 2 and Night Shot doesn't compare to the quality you attain on a professional camera. It's fine if that's all you have on hand but lately, I go back to previous locations taken with the Pixel 2 and retake them on the professional camera. Much better quality than a smartphone.

    1. Same, the iPhone has an excellent mobile camera when used in good light. At night, it fails miserably. Try using your Pixel with a tripod. I’ve seen improvements with that.

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