This photography project engages in a nocturnal exploration of the historic Gunners Park area. Throughout this project, I aimed to explore and photograph the remarkable remnants of the Shoeburyness Old Range, using the technique of light painting. I wanted to unveil the hidden beauty within these historic constructions, inviting viewers to go on a visual journey through time and space.
Night photography involves capturing images in low light conditions which means using longer exposure times to get enough light for the correct exposure. To reduce any digital noise in the photos I set the ISO low. To prevent any blurriness caused by hand movement, I used a tripod to keep the camera steady. For the light painting techniques, I experimented with various light sources, including torch, LED panels, and coloured gels, to light up parts of the scene and create interesting visual effects.
Once I took all the photos, I moved on to post-processing. This involved editing the images to enhance their quality and create a cohesive visual narrative. Finally, I printed the photographs to showcase my work.
The night can offer exciting opportunities for landscape photography, transforming the space into a magical fairy tale. Working in the dark does not come without challenges, but it can be enjoyable and visually rewarding. The stillness of the photographic night scenes is a metaphor for the complex emotions surrounding our perceptions of places and spaces over time; a sense of nostalgia and uncertainty emerges and transforms the space into the unknown.
The project invites viewers to reflect on their relationship with the environment, exploring themes of transience, nostalgia, and the unstoppable passage of time.
