Shot of the Month
Stephen Wilkes reveals the painstaking process behind this stunning shot
The secrets behind a breathtaking photo turning day into night
This day-to-night photograph of the Sandhill Cranes is from a series on bird migration commissioned by National
Geographic. In 2017 I travelled to the Rowe Sanctuary in Nebraska to photograph the Sandhill Cranes at the Platte River, a rest-stop for birds halfway through their migratory journey. I photographed from a bird blind in an area I scouted, and it was built several weeks prior to the actual shoot. The blind was 25 feet high, and I remained in the blind with my assistant for almost 36 hours.
It was extremely cold in the blind, particularly at night. We had almost no light in the evening, as any light would
have disturbed the birds, and we had to remain almost motionless and silent.
I photograph single images – not a time-lapse – from a fixed camera angle continuously, throughout the day and night. I shot 1,377 photos for this photograph and edited them down to 200 of the best images, then seamlessly blended the images into one photograph, capturing the changing of time in a single frame.
The beauty of the Platte River and the Sandhill Cranes captivated me. I was beyond lucky to have the weather cooperate. I can still hear the sounds of the birds as they made their way to and from the river. I have spent the last decade shooting iconic locations, beginning with NYC. The narrative elements of my work have evolved from the study of human interaction to a wildlife narrative in remote landscapes. My Day to Night monograph is a culmination of my 10-year photographic evolution, and bears witness to the dramatic changes happening within our fragile world.