Biking around Saint Paul at night, taking pictures

I love the symmetry under the highway 52 bridge

Probably my favorite shot of the night: Northern Home Furnishings (long since closed), finest in home furnishings. 81 East Eighth Street

It was late at night. I’d just finished making two 30-second exposures of the Central Presbyterian Church when the two guys who’d been drinking on the steps to the church got up and started walking towards me. I think they wanted to ask me a question.

That’s one of the great things about riding bike and taking pictures—mobility. When they got too close to me, I simply picked up the camera (tripod and all) and peddled away.

I stopped a little ways down the street, at the Scientology building. Earlier, I’d noticed something flapping around in the lights in the front of the building. And sure enough, high up in one of the canister lights was a large bat preening and looking around.

What a vantage point! I’d love to be a bat and pick a spot way up, and just wait and watch. Watch and wait.

At one point, the bat stretched its huge wings. Back-lit by the canister light, its wings glowed orange and veiny.

There was a woman walking by. She was noticing me trying to get a shot of the bat. (It wasn’t working out. I’d only brought a prime 50mm lens, and the bat was way to far to get a viable shot). I said, “Hey, check it out.”

She might have been a little alarmed. I pointed up to the bat in the can.

“There’s a huge bat. Up there, in that light.”

She was impressed.

“Thank you!” she said. “If you hadn’t said anything, I’d have walked right past it! Thank you! Thank you!”

And as she was saying this, she was looking over my shoulder, behind me. She was looking at something behind me. I turned around, and there were the two guys from who’d been drinking on the steps of the Presbyterian Church. They’d caught up to me. They looked surprised I’d seen them sneaking up on me from behind.

I picked up my bike and turned around, facing them.

“The fuck you want?” one of them asked.

Clumsily, they both changed their course, walking the other way instead. One of them said something at me, over their shoulder.

For perspective, in the image below, the Scientology building is ahead, on the right side, kitty-corner to the Fitzgerald theater. I should probably start carrying pepper spray on these late night outings.