I was excited to see the exhibit "Night Vision: Photography After Dark" at the Metropolitan Museum of New York (through September 18, 2011). The show includes the usual suspects - Steichen, Brassai, Bill Brandt, etc. plus a number of contemporary photographers who have focused on night photography and light painting, such as Giuseppe Albergamo. The exhibit was smaller than I anticipated, just 40 or so photographs from the Met's collection spanning the last century (1890's to present). It would be nice to see a more comprehensive nocturnes-themed exhibit, pulled together as a collaborative effort from a number of museums, then touring several cities. Berenice Abbott's night photo of buildings in New York City was accompanied by an interesting description by the photographer. She wanted as many lights on in the buildings as possible so she knew that the photograph had to be made just before Christmas around winter solstice. People would still be working until 5 pm when it was dark outside and lights would then start going off as they left the buildings. Abbott took the photo from an open window because she said that if you ask for permission to go on the roofs, building managers thought you may want to commit suicide! With the longer exposure, she was surprised at the sharpness of the photo because buildings tend to sway in the wind. The exhibit "Lyonel Feininger: At the Edge of the World" at the Whitney Museum (through October 16, 2011) includes only a couple of his night photographs. The showing is, however, a wonderful survey of Feininger's capabilities as an artist within many mediums - painting, prints, wood carving and photography. Though Feininger's photography is given minimal respresentation in this show, an exhibit of his photography is scheduled this fall/winter at both the Harvard Museum in MA and The Getty Museum in CA.