Nighttime changes everything. Busy backgrounds disappear, interesting textures appear out of nowhere. As long as you are willing to look, and sometimes look like a creep, staring at stuff nobody else even sees.
Statues come to life, but in a very different light, so to speak.
I could have darkened that background even more, but I wanted to keep that dark blue of the fleeting daylight. For Christmas lighting, that’s different. Those are set up to be seen and eventually celebrated.
Lights of the season
While I am not a fan of the bright, blueish lights for Christmas, they do have a certain charm if the background is in the same colour scheme. Over the course of this little walk over the Halifax Boardwalk a few weeks ago, you will see that the sky gets darker and darker.
Pilot just passing through
That is all natural, and not me turning down the exposures… 
The first shot of this pilot boat on the water was just a coincidence. I didn’t plane for that boat to be in my frame (said nobody ever). I saw that boat coming from far away, then waited patiently for it to line up with the moonlight over the water.
Dining in the night
There were plenty of people around, many of them eating and drinking. And making noise. The evening was rather cold, but like real Canadians, nobody cared and went to eat on the patio anyway. Just so you know. We don’t stay inside for a little bit of cold here.
Still drunk
The lampposts were still just as drunk as ever. Their lights were dimmed by their poor performance. Those are real lampposts in working order. Well, kind of. It’s a permanent art installation for everyone to enjoy. Interestingly enough, they have never been vandalised or painted over with graffiti as far as I know.
Let there be food (and light)
A little further down the boardwalk, the restaurants pop up. There is as much sitting space inside (warmth…) as outside. As a result, many people remain outside, enjoying the fresh ocean air as much as possible.
Sail Away
Art installations are everywhere along the boardwalk. This mesh hides a sailboat inside. If you look at it from a certain angle, you can see it. The angle depends on the time of the day too, so it is never really the same.
Closed for the night
Since this walk was only a few days before Christmas, the decorations were outside, inside and everywhere else. Some were not even in the “traditional” Christmas colours, but who is keeping tabs on that, eh? I believe these establishments were closed, as the seats and tables were stacked inside.
The end of the board
Then I arrived at the “end” of the boardwalk. This made me think of the old harbourside as it would have looked some 100+ years ago. Poorly lit and kind of “iffy” to walk in. Except that is was obviously safe now. This is just a restaurant patio that is closed for the season. The old barrel made for a nice touch in the scene.
Saint Mary’s Basilica Cathedral
The walk back was over Barrington street. Parallel to the boardwalk, but not as exposed to the wind coming in over the ocean. I expected to see plenty of Christmas lights and decorations, but surprisingly there were very few. Even less of the kind I wanted to photograph. The above picture was the only one in the spirit of Christmas that I came across.
Walking through a city by night can give a very different feel to a normally well-known atmosphere. You, as a photographer, should try that too. Just make sure to have either a tripod or a low-light capable camera.
Until next time…