The Machinery of Night

Posted 9:03 AM by Angie Schultz

Foto Friday: The Next Voice You Hear

Sunset in Houston, Texas, Summer 2006

When I was about ten or so, my parents went to bed one night and let my little sister and me stay up and watch TV by ourselves. We saw The Next Voice You Hear, a 1950 B-picture in which God takes over the radio waves.

I remember that there was a great deal of build-up and tension in the movie, with some people expecting a hoax, and others sure that Judgment Day had arrived. Unfortunately, I forget how it ends.

Anyhow, that night we went to bed a little spooked. We looked out the window to see a mysterious red glow in the eastern sky. It was far too early to be sunrise. Was it some kind of Sign?? What could it mean??

The next morning we told our parents all about it, and they were mightily unimpressed -- until they opened up the newspaper and found that there'd been a refinery fire in Illinois, on the other side of the river. Whew! No Sign, then.

Back to the photo: I don't know exactly when this was taken. I had a roll of film developed, and on it there were a few pictures that I know were taken on May 18, and some that were taken December 10, and in between there were around half a dozen of this sunset. I have a notebook for writing these things down, but I usually forget to do it. I vaguely remember that it came at the end of a day of storm, so it was probably summer instead of fall. Since summer lasts from about the end of April until the beginning of November here, the point is kind of moot.

[This week we're trying something new: Winter! An interesting experience. I'd blame Al Gore, but he's nowhere in sight.]

In the original of this picture there are some annoying bright lights which spoil the aesthetics. I've removed them, and darkened the front of the church, but I've done it with the "burn" tool (in accordance with ancient and accepted photography practice), rather than crude level-twiddling or cloning. That's for any photo purists out there who might inexplicably be reading this.

Labels: Foto Friday, Texas