Darkened Cities by Thierry Cohen

If you have ever been camping or backpacking far away from the cities, you have probably seen how incredible the sky is without all of the light pollution. it is amazing to think that even up in the mountains, you are usually not completely without light pollution, and your view of the night sky is somewhat obstructed. Imagine if that obstruction was gone and we could see the stars and galaxies clearly. That is what photographer Thierry Cohen set out to accomplish, and the result is awe inspiring. [The above photograph is Brooklyn Bridge, New York City]   Cohen took photos of some of the most iconic cities in the world, finding the most resonating views. Cohen carefully noted the angle, time, and latitude and longitude of his exposure and tracked where with the Earth's rotation the exact views would be in other locations with more clarity and less light pollution.  This led him to locations like the mojave, the Sahara, and the Atacama desert where he took photos of the sky at the same angles at the corresponding latitudes and longitudes. These photos were then superimposed together creating and image of what the sky would have actually looked like at that exact time in that location if we could see through to the stars. In order to accomplish the darkened effect of the cities, since we have lights on at night, the cities were actually photographed during the day when most lights are off or shine less brightly.Photography writer, Francis Hodgson said this about the photographs "In Thierry Cohen's series, Darkened Cities, we think we see bright night skies over cities. Very traditional, very poetical. Actually, what we're seeing is the opposite. These skies are an indictment and a lament. These are the skies that we don't see. They are also extremely clever photography, in which highly skilled execution provides rich layers of meaning...here is an urban mythology which is already old, in which the city teems with energy and illumines everything around it. All roads lead to Rome, we were told. Cohen is telling us the opposite. It is impossible not to read these pictures the way the artist wants them read: cold, cold cities below, cut off from the seemingly infinite energies above. It's a powerful reversal, and one very much in tune with a wave of environmental thinking of the moment."Sao PauloSan Francisco

Paris

Rio de JaneiroThe Empire State Building, New York CityLos AngelesHong KongHong Kong