Why do I love Night Snaps?
One could easily argue that black and white film photography could make any situation look like a piece of art. And I agree! I think that more often than not, shooting anything in black and white (especially street photography) captures an instant that is accurate enough, but leaves some space for your mind to fill in the colors and gaps. Is that why black and white is so attractive? Or is there something else?
Now let’s take things further and shoot B&W film, this time in dark situations. Night rides, parties, or just late hangouts. Either you push your film and create something with a lot of contrast by completely crushing the black or you have a flash and create high contrast again but by burning all your whites. For me, as someone always looking for pastel colors and brightness in my daytime shots, I just love having strong contrast against the black backdrop that night photography can provide. For some of them, you can only distinguish a silhouette or a shape, but this is where imagination jumps in and lets you create whatever you want in that empty space.
Today I made a little collection of my favorite black and white “night snaps” from the past few years. It’s based on my preferences and moments that are important for me. Most of my work is shot on HP5 or Kodak 400 TX pushed a few stops. Enjoy!
It’s a smaller post this week, but I wanted to share some shots that usually never make it into a real article. Night photography is fun and you can end up with some really surprising results. Any film camera can do the job, from a small point and shoot all the way to the best SLR you could find. However, anything small with a flash is a good start. I personally use an Olympus Mju and a Nikon 35Ti but I sometimes use the Nikon F100 and push my film 2 or 3 stops to get dark shots.
If you have any question on my photography processes or an inquiry for a special print, feel free to reach to me on my personal Instagram: @_paul_u
