Last November I made a trip to Detroit and Ann Arbor, MI to get in a couple of nights of shooting before the horrible permafrost set in. First night was Detroit, and my friend Anna Cicone and I roamed all corners of the city well into the night, including a walk from 2 to 3am through the barren wasteland that is downtown. The shot I got was almost directly under the enormous Ambassador Bridge, which spans the Detroit River and links Windsor, Ontario to Detroit. To get this shot, I had to position the tripod and camera right in the lane of the oncoming traffic, which was sparse. Brave Anna stood by the camera so none of the few passing cars would hit it, while I walked around these buildings painting them with my lights. With literally seconds left in the exposure, a cop car drove by and slammed the brakes. I closed the camera’s shutter, while the cop jumped out yelling, “Are you trying to get yourselves killed! If you get hit here, in this part of town, don’t expect help for hours!” We apologized and the cop forgave, but told us to get the hell out of there. I agreed, happy with the shot stored safely in my camera.
Alley 129, Bond & Bailey, 2009, Detroit, MI, 12am
