We took a wander up Signal Hill this evening to celebrate a friend’s birthday because nothing says, “We love you,” more than dragging someone out into the North Atlantic wind in January at night on the top of a hill in the dark.

I’ve photographer Cabot Tower and Signal Hill more times than I can count, but I still rather like this shot. Yes, you are reading the caption right. That was indeed an eight-second exposure. Not easily-done, without a tripod and in the winter wind, but I managed to wedge it hard against a nearby bench and hold my breath (it probably helped that the cold had whisked it away anyway). Keeping the subjects still for any length of time was the most challenging as they apparently were all in danger of losing anatomical bits.

The shots of the city were a little easier, since Parks Canada built this lovely stone wall around a lookout, giving photographers who left their tripods home a decent spot to prop a camera.

It’s funny what you notice in shots like these. I was suddenly reminded of how orange street-lights have taken over the city. I remember as a child that there were only one or two strings of them, out along Pitt’s Memorial Drive, initially. Gradually all the night lighting has gone orange. I could have changed it in post-processing, but opted to leave it as-is.