TORONTO AT NIGHT - Images by Michael O'Brien
Snowstorm at Night
When
snowstorms envelop our city, it's a perfect time to photograph at night. This
storm struck quickly and transformed the night into a mystery. I actually had
just finished teaching my Night Photography workshop when the storm became dense.
The class ended at 9pm and I drove one of the students home. The snow was
falling so heavily that visibility was very limited. Once I dropped her off and
started to head towards my end of the city I realized that unfolding before me
was a thing of beauty. I’d just bought a new camera, put a Lensbaby on it and
was shooting handheld at 6400 ISO.
For some
reason I saw it all in B&W in the raw vision of Daido Moriyama, a
photographer that influenced the way so many in my generation saw things.
Although I hadn’t seen or heard of Daido for years his images still were there,
stored in my subconscious waiting for this moment to come out. Daido please
consider this my homage to you. Thank you for your pure vision.
After
shooting until midnight I made it home. The storm was over in hours, leaving
our jagged city wrapped in a soft blanket of pure white. The snow melted within
days.
