Night Photography in Kuala Lumpur

Into the Night 

by Paul S. Ubl

Being a photographer often requires a certain anonymity. Some have called photographers voyeurs.  In point of fact we are observers of light, shape, pattern and behaviour.  At night our ability to stand in the shadows, to be outside the action, or simply be unobserved can be an enhancement to our work as photographers. At night everything takes on a different appearance. During the day everything is washed with the bright light from the sky. The entire observable heaven is a light source. At night the only light is the light we create. It shines as far as it will and no farther. Thus, at night we are surrounded by darkness, with random areas of light. To be a successful night photographer I would suggest two concepts. 

First, there is always light. If you keep your camera on a tripod you can open the shutter for as long as you want. One time I left my camera open for 4 hours while photographing a night landscape in Alaska. It would be hard to do that in a city! 

Second, most good night photography is done where there is light! I know this sounds contrary, but when photographing markets or street scenes the areas are usually well lit. This is why subjects look so interesting. The subjects are in the light while the area in general is dark.

Here are some contact prints of a night shoot if KL infrastructure. I was using my Mamiya 7 with ISO 400 black & white film.

For this photo shoot I was trying to record the grand infrastructure of the city. Sometimes it appears ominous and imposing while other times busy and bright and full of activity. We stumbled upon a highway overpass in that was complete but not open to traffic. We parked  in the car end wandered, with all our equipment in tow, to the top of the overpass above several busy roads. The view of the city was beautiful in that area and was well lit with traffic lights and commercial activity. It was strange to be in the middle of a forbidden space without the fear of being there. We could stand in the middle of the road, sit along the median, wander back and forth, and simply take all the time we needed to observe from any angle without a single worry about traffic. It was a very fortunate moment. About a week later the overpass was opened in the photographic experience we had would have been impossible at that location. Still, up there, above the traffic on this open expanse of road we talked about night photography, took photos from a variety of angles and after a few hours felt we had done some good work.

Night photography should not be mistaken for pictures of night. The successful photographer must look for light in the darkness. John Sexton has often said, “Light is the only subject!”  When photographing at night you must use the artificial light to create mood and shadow and composition. 

Here are some of my selected images: