Bright Lights in the Big City

Having lived and grown up in big cities (i.e. Los Angeles and Las Vegas), I’m quite used to and fond of bright city lights. I find that the lights in large cities feel very familiar, comforting and weirdly soothing to me despite their typical harshness and intensity. Skylines and nightscape views of metropolitan areas are some of my favorite photography subjects to look at; thus, I chose a city image to focus on in this first blog. In this particular photo that I found of a street in Seoul, the buildings and sidewalk are illuminated by a variety of sharp lights from the neon signs lining the brick walls, most of which are blue or white with some red and pink hues dotted throughout. There are rain drops falling from the sky, puddles on the ground, and various cars lining the street; all of which reflect the lighting and enhance the vibrancy of the blueish hues. Due to the intense brightness of the neon, the contrast between the lit and unlit areas make the shadows seem even darker in the foreground of the picture. Even though the buildings aren’t very tall and the street is a bit narrow due to the parked cars and crowd of people walking in the distance, the vibrancy and abundance of the neon signs makes the area feel larger than it actually is because the lighting doesn’t allow for enough shadows or contrast overall to make it feel compact. In general, I think most people would find this scene very overwhelming, off-putting, and/or uninviting because it is so incredibly bright and it’s hard to know where to look because it’s a bit of a sensory overload. However, I really love this photo because the vibrancy and intensity of the lighting really showcases the “city never sleeps” and cutting-edge temperament that I think of when I imagine being in a city like Seoul.