A City Gone Silent at Night Time (Photo Essay)

It’s a city’s people who breathe life into it- particularly noticeable in the urban areas. Their movement, the voices, the presence are all bright and necessary accessories to adequately showcase the glass and concrete landscape. To see these same structures bare and empty is entirely odd, and even a bit disconcerting. 

As I make my way on foot through the streets, I wonder, will this shift in society we’ve all had to reluctantly embrace affect our urban landscape in the days to come? The shining and ghostly altars of architecture that form the downtown skylines of cities everywhere are empty, dark and silent. The trains run without passengers, only the occasional masked occupant being swallowed up in the space as they are hurtled to equally empty train stations. 

The only noise to be heard is the wind whistling through the looming corridor of skyscrapers, and birds who appear to have reclaimed the inner-city parks and trees for their own, now undisturbed by the usual constant activity. 

A lonely bus completes its methodical route through the urban space, and instead of crowds, only stopping to drop off a single passenger or pick up an essential worker making their way home for the night. The lights sparkle along the retail stretches of downtown, beautifully beckoning to a silent, non-existent audience. Outdoor patios sit silent, no taxis pulling up to drop off nighttime revelers to spill onto the music-filled streets. The silence is deeply unnatural, in an area almost always present with the din of activity.

During the Covid0-19 lockdown, surely this cannot be the new normal, as it feels strange and haunting. Although beautiful photographically in its undisturbed state,  I look forward to its more natural appearance, in whatever ends up defining what our new normal shall be.

About the Author

Christy Turner is a Brand ambassador for Tamron Canada, and a freelance photographer/writer who specializes in, astrophotography, lifestyle portraits and travel/landscape images. Having traveled extensively through more than 70 countries, her work has been published nationally and internationally. Mostly self taught but currently working on a Visual Design Certificate from the University of Calgary, Turner’s work is about conveying a sense of experience through visual storytelling. 

Turner currently works and resides in Calgary, AB, Canada and her work can be found at christyturnerphotography.com, IG: aurorachaseryyc and facebook.com/christyturnerphotography