City Lights

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First EditionCopyright © Kelsey McDowell PhotographyAll Rights ReservedPrinted in Philadelphia, PA

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table of contents.preface.6.

8. windows.

20. signs.

38. reflections.

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preface.Lights. They are EVERYWHERE. Especially in the city

at night.

But how often do you actually take a look at them? I

mean really stop and take them in? Notice the different

colors, shapes, how they work together to light up

the sky. There’s a reason why you can see the light from

Philadelphia miles away. Lights are everywhere.

On my first few outings for this book, I came up with

three categories of the lights that can be seen at night:

signs, windows, and reflections. Signs, as we all know,

are abundant in Philadelphia From advertising the

lottery to how much it costs to get your nails done.

Going along the advertising train, many shops line their

windows with lights at night, either highlighting a

window display, or the interior of their stores. Reflections

on the other hand, can be found cast from building

lights, street lamps, or even Christmas lights wrapped

around trees.

If you look for them, those categories of lights are just

about everywhere.

And look I did.

Coming from farm country, the only lights I grew up

seeing at night were occasional streetlights – if I was

lucky. The stars were sure brighter in the country (and

boy do I miss them), but the colorful nature of the lit-up

neon ball called Philadelphia is a sight to be seen.

When I first moved to the city of Philadelphia, the

thought of walking around the city at night, ALONE,

with my camera, would have sent me running in the

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opposite direction. Instead, I found great satisfaction

in the solitude of this project and was proud of the

confidence, and street smarts, that I had

developed over the years.

The idea for this book came to me when finding a poem

I wrote years ago that was entitled, “City Lights.” When I

was growing up my grandmother lived in Philadelphia,

and on our way back home from a visit, I would always

sit in the back of the family station wagon and stare

at the big lights of the city slowly fade into the

distance. I felt small, but in a great way. This adventure

helped me to rediscover that feeling and take a look at

that sense of wonderment the lights of the city gave me

years ago.

I would like to thank Dr. Edward Trayes for always

pushing me over the years to stretch myself and to never

settle. I would also like to thank the photojournalism

department for being the best photo family a girl could

ask for. Sure, we bicker, but what family doesn’t? Your

constant support and encouragement makes tasks like

creating and binding a book completely possible. j

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signs.

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reflections.

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