Picturing Midnight
An Annual Invitational Photo Project
At midnight on December 31, one year ends and the next begins. A few years ago, I decided to pursue a new photographic project focused on that moment. The idea was simple: make an exposure that straddles midnight. That is, with the camera on a tripod, make a time exposure that begins in one year and ends in the next.
This is the first such image that I made. The view is from a pedestrian overpass in my old neighborhood in Tokyo. The shutter opened at 11:58 and closed at 12:02. I had originally meant to make a different image, but ran out of time on my way to the location and had to improvise.
The next year, I photographed people waiting to enter the shrine in my new neighborhood in Saitama. Again, the exposure started just before midnight and ended just after it.
You get the idea.
In all, I’ve done this six times, and it’s something I’m hoping I can do every year for the rest of my life. I love the idea and want to keep doing it with as much consistency as I can manage. But I also like the idea enough that I don’t want to keep it to myself.
I want to see what you do with it, too.
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The Invitation
I want to see what you do with this concept.
This invitation is for anyone who wants to give it a try, whether or not you think of yourself as a photographer.
With the upcoming 2022/2023 New Year’s transition, I’d like to invite everyone who has the interest to get involved.
There’s only one requirement: Make a photograph using a time exposure that straddles midnight on December 31. The exposure should start before midnight, and end after midnight.
That’s it. You might want to do some planning in advance, but you don’t have to. Exposure times could be whatever you like, but a few seconds is a basic minimum for practical reasons, so you’ll probably want a tripod or other means to keep your camera steady.
Right now, this project is in an early stage, but will pick up momentum as others get involved.
NB: If you’re interested, but aren’t sure about how to handle the technical side of it, don’t worry. I’ve put together a simple technical guide to help.
Submit your Photo Now
Did you participate and make a photo? Wonderful! Hit the button to go to the submission page now.
Go to SubmissionsGallery Page Coming Soon!
Working on building a gallery page or blog post system for everyone’s submissions, but am finding it tricky to build it the way I want. Stay tuned for that.
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Get Involved
I'd love to have you participate.
If you want to take part, bookmark this page and drop your email in the form. I’ll be sending out an occasional newsletter just for this project.
About Me
Hello! I’m David R Munson, the creator of this project. I’ve enjoyed working on this on my own the last handful of years, and I really mean it when I say I want to see what others do with the concept. Please join in! Let’s make this an annual tradition with an ever-growing community attached.
To learn more about me, visit my website (or my other website). You can also find me on Twitter.
Get in Touch
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