Jasper van den Ende | Exposure Value ZER0̸

PAR01-09, 2022. Fujitrans Lambda print mounted in lightbox with dimmable LEDs on dibond in wooden frame

The human eye adapts to changing light levels — a remarkable ability on which our vision depends. Yet this very adaptability makes us ‘blind’ to the true brightness of artificial light sources around us. Exposure Value ZER0̸ is a photographic exploration that maps and questions urban exposure levels: how much light do we really need at night? And when does illumination become excessive or redundant?

To understand the role of night lighting, I turned my camera to Paris and London — two “cities of light” with deep historical ties to illumination. London pioneered large-scale gas lighting in 1807, and less than a century later, electric streetlights first lit up Paris in 1878, transforming the way we experience cities after dark.

Using a 1950s photographic light-measuring technique, I captured urban landscapes with a large-format technical camera, set to exposure value ‘zero’ — a setting that represents an artificially illuminated cityscape. Revisiting this method 70 years later, I kept the images true to the original process, altering only what I consider integral to picture-making: framing, cropping, and selection.

In doing so, the camera records the direct relationship between the photograph, the light present, and the specific place — revealing the past and present in a new light.

Interaction with the human eye

How much light do we need at night? What is necessary or sufficient? And what is excessive or redundant night lighting? To find understanding in the use of night lighting, I explored the cities of light Paris and London, through the lens of my own photographic process. Exactly these cities are visited because of their historical significance: London first applied gas lighting on a large scale in 1807. Less than a century later, in 1878, electric street lighting was first switched on in Paris. The latter has forever changed the way we are experiencing cities at night.

The project’s name refers to a numerical system that photographers used in the 1950s to determine the right exposure value for a ‘correct’ photo. I played with this given and developed a conceptual and technical method in which the control over the exposure value is handed over to the present light itself, leaving images where the midtones and highlights ‘overflow.’ In this way, I want to show the physical and direct relationship between the photo, the amount of light, and the location where the image is captured.

The photos are made with a technical camera and deliberately shot with slow shutter speed in order to capture a sense of stillness in an otherwordly manner. The chemical-based transparency film is hand-developed and except for framing, cropping and selection, which I believe are integral to picture-making, the images have remained authentic to the making. What can the photographs reveal about our bright nights that would otherwise be imperceptible to our human eye?