view of the city and the bits of light that illuminate the darkness when night falls


Patrick Joust has spent the last decade in Baltimore and during that time he's captured a side of the city most people will never see.

Joust, 38, has been a photographer for 14 years but it was only in the last eight years that he began photographing Baltimore at night.

By day Joust works as a librarian but at night the city becomes his subject and he takes his images at the behest of lampposts and street lights.

Patrick Joust has spent the last decade in Baltimore and during the last eight years he been shooting the city during the night

By day Joust works as a librarian but at night the city becomes his subject and he takes his images at the behest of lampposts

'Lighting is really important. I don’t do any artificial lighting. Just a matter of where the streetlights are dictates composing an image,' Joust said

Bar lights and sign posts are frequently featured in his nighttime images, like this picture, which shows a bright yellow sign light

Wherever the streets are illuminated, Joust finds a subject for his images. Couches sit out in a yard as a tree's shadow creates and eerie backdrop

'I live in the middle of the city myself, and I love the beauty of city and the architecture,' Joust said. This image shows a standalone building lit up by stray light

One of Joust's favorite nighttime subjects are corner stores, which provide a wealth of lighting in the Baltimore darkness

'I was inspired by all these places in Baltimore that I had taken pictures during day and thought they would look interesting at night,' Joust said

Building structures play a prominent role in Joust's photography. In this picture, Joust captures a brick building that appears to be part of a home and restaurant

Neon lights shine above an empty street as a lone person sites on a bench. A street light just out of frame also appears to brighten the image

'I live in the middle of the city myself, and I love the beauty of city and the architecture.

'I was inspired by all these places in Baltimore that I had taken pictures during day and thought they would look interesting at night.

'And the lighting is really important. I don’t do any artificial lighting. It's just a matter of where the streetlights are that dictates the composition of an image,' Joust told DailyMail.com.

Inspired by the city's architecture, corner stores and aging landscape, Joust, who describes himself as an introvert, began snapping images through the night.

He said one thing that helped him really embrace night photography was the birth of his son about four years ago.

This is one of Joust's favorite images. It was taken as his friend Brian unloaded equipment from a car. Joust saw the moment and felt he had to capture it

Because he is able to shoot images at night, he hopes his photography will give some people who hold preconceived notions about Baltimore a new perspective

'The city is often portrayed as really dangerous, and I think - if anything - the fact I take a lot of pictures in Baltimore at night shows it's not as dangerous as people think

'It's a beautiful city and a place people should think differently of than how its been depicted,' Joust said

Joust, originally from California, has photographed Baltimore on and off for the last 12 years. He lived in the city,moved away and eventually came back to raise a family

Joust said one thing that helped him really embrace night photography was the birth of his son about four years ago

While his son slept, Joust was roaming the city he loves capturing the fleeting spaces of light in Baltimore

When he's not shooting the nighttime streets of Baltimore, Joust says he also does portrait shots during the daytime

He said because of his introverted nature, the portraits can be more challenging but nighttime shoots are ideal for him

Joust said he doesn't live off of his photography, although he will sell prints and occasionally be featured in certain outlets

While his son slept, Joust was roaming the city he loves capturing the fleeting spaces of light in Baltimore.

One of his favorite images was taken on a shoot with another photographer.

As his friend Brian unloaded equipment from a car, Joust saw a moment he felt he had to capture.

'I saw that moment and took picture and was just pleased with how that shot came out.

'It was almost on the fly, even though I had to have the camera on tripod to make it work,' he said.

Because he is able to shoot images at night, he hopes his photography will give some people who hold preconceived notions about Baltimore a new perspective.

'The city is often portrayed as really dangerous, and I think - if anything - the fact I take a lot of pictures in Baltimore at night shows it's not as dangerous as people think.

'It's a beautiful city and a place people should think differently of than how its been depicted,' Joust said.

He appreciates that he can be a librarian during the day and at night he can pursue his photography hobby, which he got into just after college

The sign from a funeral home lights up a street in Baltimore. A cross can be seen on the building in the background, which appears to neighbor homes

The moon creeps though a cloudy night sky over the city as a car sits parked outside a row of homes in this photograph

A street speed limit sign is lit up by a lonely lamppost outside what appears to be a boarded up residential building

A boarded up store with the words 'Our Little Spot' written neatly on the plywood is lit up by an alleyway light in the background

A lonely lamppost shines in between two sets of derelict residential buildings. A star is visible in the night sky

Cold winter air appears to refract the lights outside a Target as deep footprints are seen dotting the white, crisp snow

Christmas lights twinkle in the background as a car sits on an icy shoulder outside a home in winter

Snow piles on top of a vintage-looking car in this photo by Joust. The lights in the background create a menagerie of color