Recently, I traveled on a bulk freighter on the Great Lakes (images and story for a future blog) and flew to Chicago and stayed at an airport hotel the night before I boarded the ship.  I always look out the window and usually take a snapshot of the view whenever I stay at a hotel.  Some are more interesting than others, and all are an historical documentation of my travels.

Airport hotels are usually quite dull and boring and this one was no different.  Here is the snapshot I took with my always-at-the-ready point-and-shoot camera.

Not much of an image, I grant you, but a photo documentation of a place and time, just like I always do.

Later that evening after dinner, I went back to the room and looked out the window again and saw this image.  My hotel view was better than I expected!

Again, I took my trusty point-and-shoot out of my pocket and shot again.

This is a lot more than simply a documentation of my hotel view, as it has graphic angularity that is enhanced by the lit covered walkways (compared to the daytime shot).  It has several different colored light sources, including mercury vapor (on the tree in the foreground and the two hot spots on the wall at left).  There are two different types of fluorescent lights in the walkway.  The different colors in the other hotel building windows add some more color to the image.

The camera was set for “automatic” and very straightforward with no tricks and no photoshop to either image.  The only over-ride was that the camera was set to “forced flash off”, where it usually is–I avoid flash whenever possible.  (For those who are curious, the meta data said this exposure was 1/2 second at f2.8 at ISO400).  As you can see, I have a pretty steady hand–no tripod was used either, but I leaned up against the window edge to steady the camera.

It might not be a prize winning image, but still one that is much more interesting to look at than the daytime shot.  It also has a sense of mystery.  By chance, these two images are almost perfectly lined up with each other.

I think our modern urban world with its over-lit buildings can make for some interesting night photography–even with a digital point-and-shoot.  Carry one with you on your travels–and keep a watch out for interesting night views.