Reiner Riedler
The dark curtain

Every year from the end of May to the middle of July, St. Petersburg presents a very special natural spectacle. As in many northern regions of the world, it does not get dark for a certain time.

The Dark Curtain“ captures the transformation of the city of St. Petersburg during the time of „The White Nights“ , when the nights are bright and the streets are crowded with sleepless people. The White Nights refers to the time of year when the sun is visible almost the entire day and night in areas close to the Arctic and Antarctic Circle. For this time I completely changed my rhythm to adjust to shooting at night, often making appointments to photograph people in the early morning hours. I recognized a difference approaching people at night. Immediately I had a strong connection to most of them – they were very open from the first moment. There is something magical going on in St. Petersburg during this period of time. I was originally inspired by Fyodor Dostoevsky's novella "The White Nights".