the colours of new york at night (photos + interview)

hi allison <3 so, what does new york city feel like at night?

I just moved to New York to focus on my art, in a way. I want to focus on capturing life and movement and colour, and nights like these allow me to do that. New York City at night is insanely magical. I'm from Portland, Oregon and I love the city there, but there's something about being in Manhattan and being so close to buildings that it doesn't feel real. Most of these photos were taken after a concert in Central Park with new friends we met there, and it just reminds me of how special a night (bringing together new people, listening to new music) can be.

what usually catches your eye right before you take a photo?

I try to look for life and movement and moments. I’m trying to capture what it feels like to be young.

describe the colours in your photos.

I'm really attracted to bright colours in my photos, which manifests itself in a very warm, colourful colour scheme in my work. These photos are a little different for me because for so long I avoided shooting at night because of the lack of light, but I found a lot of liveliness and cool green tones come out on film as opposed to my attempts on digital.

what's your favourite kind of light?

I love the sun and sun flares. But I' am working on moving my focus away from just daylight.

how do you want people to feel when they see your photos?

I want people to simply feel and relate to my photos when they see them. I've always been obsessed with the low budget, coming-of-age movies that are really authentic of what it's like to be a teenager, and I hope my photos can feel like that for myself, and for others.

<3 all images & words by allison barr <3