Still of the Night
A photo essay by Patrick Joust
A freight train passes by row homes on the edge of Cherry Hill while the headlights of waiting cars shine through. -Photography by Patrick Joust
What is it about the night that intrigues us so? The darkness, the stillness, the glimpses of interior lives seen through illuminated windows: It all seems so pregnant with possibility compared to the flat brightness of day.
Baltimore photographer Patrick Joust excels at capturing the romance and danger of the Baltimore night with an unflinching gaze and elegant use of chiaroscuro reminiscent of painters like Edward Hopper.
Like stills from a modern film noir, his shots hint at something ominous lurking just out of frame, as if the heavy calm is about to be broken, but by what is left up to the viewer’s imagination.
A car and two row homes a half block from Collington Square in East Baltimore. One row home is occupied, the other abandoned on this once densely populated street. -Photography by Patrick Joust
Two alley row homes, one occupied, the other abandoned, in Remington. -Photography by Patrick Joust
A large American flag hangs from a Formstone row home in Remington. -Photography by Patrick Joust
“West Side” graffiti in the south Baltimore neighborhood of Curtis Bay. -Photography by Patrick Joust
“Our Little Spot” just off North and Pennsylvania avenues. -Photography by Patrick Joust
A lone car in Curtis Bay. -Photography by Patrick Joust
A skateboarder takes a break in Hampden. -Photography by Patrick Joust
A corner store in Walbrook. -Photography by Patrick Joust
A patron stands outside Burger-Go-Go Restaurant in Upper Fells Point. -Photography by Patrick Joust
A liquor store in Walbrook lights up the street. -Photography by Patrick Joust
An empty basketball court in Shipley Hill. -Photography by Patrick Joust
Online Exclusive Images
A red window in the Druid Heights neighborhood of west Baltimore. - Photography by Patrick Joust
Destroyed telephone booths on the east side of North Avenue. - Photography by Patrick Joust
A lit row house window across from Collington Square in East Baltimore. - Photography by Patrick Joust
Condemned row homes are used as a canvas for public art in the Barclay neighborhood. - Photography by Patrick Joust
Overgrown weeds and vacant storefronts in "Old Town Mall." - Photography by Patrick Joust
Steam rises from the storm drain during road construction in the Dunbar neighborhood of east Baltimore. - Photography by Patrick Joust
A liquor store in Remington. - Photography by Patrick Joust
A VW bus parked by old stone mill housing in the Woodberry neighborhood. - Photography by Patrick Joust
Passing cars light up a pedestrian bridge leading to Reservoir Hill. - Photography by Patrick Joust
The lights of an oncoming train expose the tracks in Harwood. - Photography by Patrick Joust
An abandoned car sits in a field on the edge of Brooklyn in South Baltimore. - Photography by Patrick Joust
Cars stream past a parked vehicle in Remington. - Photography by Patrick Joust
Cars stream past the old La Hacienda restaurant in Northeast Baltimore. - Photography by Patrick Joust
An American flag draped across a porch in Hampden. - Photography by Patrick Joust
An "Easter Island" statue sits in a vacant lot in the shadow of the steeple of the Lovely Lane Church in Barclay. - Photography by Patrick Joust
A storefront near Walbrook Junction. - Photography by Patrick Joust
A golden car sits in the showroom in Hampden. - Photography by Patrick Joust
An abandoned streetcar sits beside the tracks off of Old Falls Road. - Photography by Patrick Joust
Row homes converted into a used furniture store advertise their wares on the extreme eastern edge of the city. - Photography by Patrick Joust
A corner store in Butcher's Hill. - Photography by Patrick Joust
