Night News An Occcasional Missive from the Darkness
Vol.10 No.2, July 7, 2008

"Far between sundown's finish an' midnight's broken toll
We ducked inside the doorway, thunder crashing
As majestic bells of bolts struck shadows in the sounds
Seeming to be the chimes of freedom flashing
Flashing for the warriors whose strength is not to fight
Flashing for the refugees on the unarmed road of flight
An' for each an' ev'ry underdog soldier in the night
An' we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing."

Friends of The Nocturnes,

"Well, once again it has been a long while since our last missive – sign of the times, we suspect (like the times we live in, as much as anything) – what’s that oft-mentioned Chinese Proverb (or is it a curse?): “May you live in interesting times.” Interesting, indeed - just don’t confront us with too many deadlines, or try to keep us on schedule!

"As you’ve probably noticed, in the past year or so we’ve resorted to “NightNews_FLASHES” to get the word out to you re: our various offerings, etc. Of course, the “regulars” to the Web site and the Blog have a better track on updates to our activities, etc. So, hopefully this fuller version of “NightNews” is a return to form, perhaps – and we’re starting it on July 4th – may be a good sign. By the time you read this another long weekend will have passed, so lets get on with this, shall we? "

"Lots going on with NPy Exhibits of late. An upcoming show, “Nocturnes . . . in Berkeley?” is currently bright on our night radar, right now. For this exhibit Tim gathered some of “the usual suspects” who live, work, teach, or photograph around Berkeley to explore, interpret, and reveal the “hidden nocturnal nature” of Berkeley. The show can be seen at The LightRoom, 2263 Fifth Street, in Berkeley from July 14 to August 22 - with a reception for the artists on July 19 from 2-6pm. See you there! For a preview of some of the work go to - http://www.lightroom.com/current/2008_galleries/The%20Nocturnes/nocturnes/index.html

"Our Fifth Biennial exhibit, “The Nocturnes 2008” is currently “installed” on The Nocturnes Web site - http://www.thenocturnes.com/exhibits/2008.html. Jurist Mark Hobson of the Landscapist Blog - http://landscapist.squarespace.com/ - definitely (definitively?) tapped into some of the more primal elements that infuse, motivate and elevate NPy, we think. You should have a look at his thoughtful comments on his selections for award-winners for the show.

"A moveable feast” here – The “Darkness, Darkness” (D2) exhibit of Contemporary NPy has moved, with some notable NPrs added to the roster, from its inaugural location at Harvard University to the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, where it will reside thru August 31, 2008. Visit the D2 Web site for more information - http://www.darknessdarkness.com

"The roster for our Sixth Annual “Studio Nocturne” has been finalized, as we return again to Fort Mason Center, as part of San Francisco Open Studios on October 11 and 12. Ten intrepid Night Photographers will again participate in this year's event. Landmark Building 'A' Fort Mason, October 11-12, from 11am to 6pm.

"Artists in this year's “Studio Nocturne” include:
Tim Baskerville
Rebecca Chang
Todd Friedlander
Mark Jaremko
Marilynne Morshead
Deborah Rourke
Greta/Manu Schnetzler
Lena Tsakmaki
John Vias
Roxanne Worthington

"BTW, we are looking for "a few good docents" for this special event - if you are a night photographer, or just have an interest in this exciting genre of photography and want to learn more about it, why not volunteer to act as a docent for a few hours on either day? - Contact us directly at studio@thenocturnes.com. While it would be great if you are well-versed in the 'nocturne,' a general interest in art or photography is all that is required, to greet and direct visitors to the respective artists in the show.

"Night Photography offerings for the fall have been announced and can be viewed on the Web site at http://www.thenocturnes.com/workshops.html

"Again, our early warning night radar reveals an Urban NPy Workshop with Tim Baskerville at RayKo Photo Center in San Francisco, August 7, 14, and 21 (Thursday nights); as well as a College of Marin Course starting September 15, 2008.

"There is also a pre-announcement of a Death Valley Workshop, scheduled for November 8-10. We would really like this one to fly (and would like to bring back a co-instructor), but a lot of that is dependent on full registration for the Workshop. So if this Full Moon Night Photography Workshop - in a fantastic location, at a great time-of-year - interests you (or you know of someone it might interest) email us at workshop@thenocturnes.com . Or better yet, use the online registration form found online - http://www.thenocturnes.com/workshops/deathvalley.html - to confirm your commitment to desert Night Photography.

"Finally, you can check out the latest information on ALL our offerings at http://www.thenocturnes.com/workshops.html

"So, the word is out (continued) . . .
First off, Alumna Charity Vargas alerted us to the recent Photo District News acknowledgement of The Nocturnes (#14) as one of “46 Reasons to Love Photography Now” See OUR mention of THEIR mention on our Blog - http://thenocturnes.blogspot.com/2008/06/what-were-selling-here-part-ii.html - we’re going to try to get the full text of the article up on The Nocturnes Web site – real soon, but . . . (see ‘interesting times’ mention above!).

"A new, comprehensive book on night and low-light photography by Jill Waterman is due for an August 5 release. The 196 page paperback, with a foreword by Michael Kenna, features contributions by what can only be described as a ‘who’s who’ list of contemporary, practicing Nocturnes. We’ll tease you here, with the initials only, of SOME of them: SH, LK, MJ, TP (both of them!) – now, you’ll just have to buy the book to see who the nocturnal luminaries are, and who else is included in this text. Read more about it at www.nightphotographybook.com - BTW, it is available on Amazon.com, with a pre-publication discount – so, ACT NOW!

"Lastly, Troy Paiva’s long-awaited second book should be available shortly after you read this. “Night Vision: the Art of Urban Exploration” published by Chronicle Books weighs in at 144 pages and documents “a booming subculture on the rise” – one with obvious ties to the nocturne – we can’t wait to see it, Troy! – more info at http://www.chroniclebooks.com/index/main,book-info/store,books/products_id,7135/title,Night-Vision/

"A couple of operational items here – around the last part of July TheNocturnes.com will be migrating to a newer, bigger, better (and probably more intimidating!) server. During this period, service WILL be interrupted – hopefully, just for a few days, but expect delays in getting ALL the pages/depts back up and running. This is an important move, as it will enable us to expand the current Gallery space to include some new international artists who’ve expressed interest in participating in our little show’n’tell. BTW, if you would like to deepen your participation in The Nocturnes - that would be one way to do it – to join the growing list of gallery artists. The annual fee is yet to be determined, but it should be modest and helps us cover the increased bandwidth and the need for the move to the new server.

"Thinking of other ways of donating to "the cause?" Did you know you can personally help build The Nocturnes Library thru an Amazon.com Wish List of titles to be acquired! Check our Home Page - http://www.thenocturnes.com/ - OR the Main page of our Blog - http://thenocturnes.blogspot.com/ - for the link and the ever-growing list of important titles to be acquired. NOTE: Be sure to go to Amazon THRU THIS LINK for proper routing to our list, and to ensure we get credit for the visit/purchase. Maybe drop us an email to confirm the action, too. As always, we thank you for your support.

"We’ve included the above items here, ‘cos over the years many people have asked how they “might get more involved with The Nocturnes.” And aside from the usual “take a workshop” or “enter an online show” response, we struggle to find more options for involvement. A number of people who have taken workshops or exhibited with our group, over the years, have gone on to become more involved – some are currently included in our workshops as co-instructors. So, that definitely does work – but there should be other paths, other areas to participate in. The expansion of the Gallery and The Nocturnes Library program are just two more ways to participate in this, our premier Night Photography Group.

"Look for the Prospectus for our next online exhibition of NPy, once the new server work mentioned above is accomplished. Also, look for the archive of ALL our online and off-line exhibitions from the past 9 years to be re-established on the site.

"Now to the next upcoming show: “Blue Nocturne” – during the past nine years, we’ve had time to notice a few things in regarding these online offerings. The primary observation being that when we stage an “open theme” (read NO theme, other than NPy, we suppose) show, we get a good-to-GREAT response. When we narrow it, even a bit, to focus on a theme that after all is related to NPy (perhaps “It was a Dark and Stormy Night”) – well then, the number of submissions (and therefore the opportunity for a diverse, genre-bending display of challenging NightWork) plummets. So on this show, which is granted, a bit narrow thematically, we’ll try to be very clear about what we’re looking for.

"So, what is a “Blue Nocturne?” It’s the visual equivalent of the “high lonesome,” the rhythms of the delta (again, with the music references!), and the “tungsten-blue” palette of some of the best in NPy. It’s work that exists in a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 440–490 nm, and is “Kind of Blue,” too! It’s the cold, steely hue of a noir crime scene, and shooting “night for day.” It’s the near-frozen atmosphere that gives us Northern Lights in those extreme northern latitudes of the planet. It’s homage to the color of the oceans of that same watery planet. It’s the color field and the abstraction of neon on rain-dampened streets. It’s what you think a Blue Nocturne . . . is. Expect much more on this later- in the prospectus for the exhibition - http://www.thenocturnes.com/forms/blue.html

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"This concludes this edition of "Night News." As always, this and past issues of "Night News" are accessible at http://www.thenocturnes.com/newsletter/newsarchive.htm

"And finally, with all those “chimes of freedom flashing” just remember: ". . . let's be careful out there."

Susan Nichols

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The Nocturnes family of Web sites:
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http://thenocturnes.blogspot.com
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