Bullseye After Dark: Night Photography

Student Assistant at John Hope Franklin Center uses OGA funding to pursue night photography course.

-By Lucy Law, ‘25 International Comparative Studies major

May 8, 2025

As a photographer, I have always been fascinated by the night photography style. City streets glow under neon signs and cars zoom past, their headlights a mere streak of light on camera. I have lived in Durham for the last four years while attending Duke University, but until now, I never thought to combine these two aspects of my life: Durham and low light photography. When I saw that the Office of Global Affairs was offering student funding that would apply to a Street Photography at Night class, I jumped at the chance to see downtown Durham from a new angle.

The group, hosted by the Raleigh Photography Group, met on a balmy Saturday evening at CCB Plaza by the Major the Bull bronze sculpture, just as golden hour was bathing the streets in a warm yellow glow. Our instructor, a seasoned photographer with a fondness for long exposures and neon signs, gave us a crash course in using manual settings and embracing the slow rhythm of night shooting. No flashy studio setups. Just us, our cameras and the hum of downtown Durham.

It took me a while to get into the groove: adjusting my settings, calculating my exposure and keeping up with the group. I shot a lot of indoor events lately, and it had been a while since I’d really exercised my creative muscles looking for candid moments on the street. However, under our instructor’s supervision, I let go of the pressure for every photo to be perfect and just started having fun being creative. As the sun set, every light source became an opportunity for a photo. We climbed to the top of a parking garage and experimented with long exposures as cars zoomed through intersections. Car headlights, streetlamps and neon signs framed my shots as we continued to shoot.

The class was more than just a technical lesson. It reminded me that creativity doesn’t always need ideal conditions, just your camera and a vision. It had been a long time since I just grabbed my camera and let my creativity and spontaneity run wild. Now I am a little more confident, a lot more inspired and with a memory card full of nightscapes I’m glad I captured before I graduated from Duke. It was the perfect reminder that sometimes, the best shots come when you stop waiting for the perfect moment and just start shooting.