Tunnelton, W.Va., depot
The railroad depot at Tunnelton, W.Va., is one of the many Preston County landmarks Carl is documenting in nighttime photography.

For nearly two decades, Carl has pursued nighttime photography of historic structures, particularly covered bridges, railroad depots and other functionally obsolete structures in danger of being lost.

In Ashtabula County, Ohio, Carl documented all of the county’s famous 19 covered bridges.

Covered bridge at night. Middle Road, Conneaut, Ohio.
Middle Road Covered Bridge, Conneaut, Ohio. Winter 2012. Photo by Carl E. Feather
Smolen-Gulf covered bridge
At 613 feet, the Smolen-Gulf Covered Bridge is the longest in the U.S. Lighting the bridge for this nighttime photo was a challenge. Carl used gelled strobes to create the colored piers.

“My Night Passages” work was inspired by the nighttime railroad photography of O. Winston Link. As I admired his work, I wondered how I might apply his approach to the ‘steam railroads’ of our time, those structures that fading into the past, often quietly until one day we pass by them and see a parking lot has replaced the landmark.”

Carl E. Feather

One of the Ashtabula County buildings I photographed in 2016 has since been razed by the owner, CSX Railroad. The old freight depot at Ashtabula was significant for it stood on the location of the depot to which victims of the Ashtabula Train Disaster in 1876 were brought. The image was created with the help of Carl’s father, Carl J. Feather, who worked just down the tracks at East Ohio Gas for many years.

Railraod depot at night.
CSX Depot, Ashtabula, Ohio. Since razed.

Relocating to Preston County, W.Va., in 2000 has given Carl a fresh slate of buildings to photograph. The depot at Tunnelton (top of page) and Pleasant District Holiness Camp building at Valley Point were among his 2022 subjects.

Old camp meeting building
Camp meeting at the Pleasant District Holiness Camp, near Valley Point.

Carl uses a Nikon D810 that is remotely controlled so he can place the electronic studio flashes at various spots around the structures. The flashes slice through the night air and usually attract a passerby or two, even a police officer, who wonders “what the heck is going on?” Most often used lenses are the manual focus Zeiss Distagon 35mm and 50mm macro, and a 28mm f/2 Nikkor.

Working at night and lighting the subject with artificial light allows me to selectively include the most interesting features of the building while obscuring distractions in the shadows or total darkness. My goal is to move these buildings into my “outdoor studio” by using the cover night and power of selective lighting.

Carl E. Feather

When he began this project, Carl preferred working in winter and with snow cover. The snow provided one more element to cover the unattractive elements of the scene. However, as the years passed and his Raynaud’s Syndrome symptoms worsened, he’s had to pursue this effort when temperatures are above 60 degrees. Nighttime insects, which reflect back the light from the electronic flash, present warm-weather challenges around bodies of water.

His latest efforts on documenting West Virginia “Night Passages” may be found as blog posts.