Spectacular Day and Night Composite Shots of Major Cities

Day to Night is a spectacular ongoing series by fine art photographer Stephen Wilkes featuring urban landscapes that transcend the confines of time by presenting day and night shots of iconic cityscapes in one image. Using up to 1,500 images from a 15-hour shoot day (from sunrise to sunset), Wilkes takes about a month to edit his shots into one composite image that reveals the gradience of time.

Each photo manipulation presents a striking look at a major city from the crack of dawn till nightfall. As natural sunlight washes over the brilliant, booming landscape and recedes to allow the artificial glow of the architecture and streetlights to take over the night sky, we're given a sense of each city's appeal throughout the course of a day. There's also a rich sense of history and culture captured through the passage of time, reflected in each seamlessly transitioning shot.

The photographer says, “The images are so layered; there are so many elements that I love about the medium: Street, history, people environment, narrative, and storytelling. I'm drawn to cities that have not only fantastic architecture, but also fascinating street life. The human narrative is the subtext in a lot of my photographs, so the more you look at it, the more you are going to discover.” Having already taken on some of the biggest cities–including New York City, Washington DC, and Shanghai–Wilkes looks forward to adding the iconic cityscapes of Chicago, London, and Paris to the growing series.


Stephen Wilkes website
via [Daily Mail]

Pinar

Pinar Noorata (she/her) is the Editorial Director at My Modern Met. She is a writer, editor, and content creator based in Brooklyn, New York. She earned her BA in Film and Media Studies from CUNY Hunter College. She has worked at major TV, film, and publishing companies as well as other independent media businesses. She also runs her own art & culture newsletter called The High Low. She first joined the My Modern Met team in 2011 as a Contributing Writer, pitching and publishing articles about a wide range of topics. Her expertise in visual media lends itself to in-depth analysis of varied art forms, including but not limited to painting, illustration, sculpture, installation, design, and photography. Pinar has a particular affinity for spotlighting up-and-coming artists, affording them a platform and offering a voice to lesser-heard individuals looking to break through, especially BIPOC creatives. She has helped multiple artists make a name for themselves and reach a wider audience over 10+ years as a writer and editor (both through long-form articles and short-form videos). When she isn’t writing, editing, or creating videos herself, Pinar enjoys watching films and TV, reading, crafting, drawing, frequenting museums and galleries, and volunteering at her local animal shelter.
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