photographer - Justin Harris

Photography, Spirituality & the Faces We See... In the Late City Light

By Sarah Algoe

There is a currency of nostalgia trafficked by artists through their media, a connection found only in the exchange between subject and observer. In photography, it can be found in captured moments, a feeling created by brief snapshots, memories frozen in time.

For local photographer Justin Harris, he sees these moments as “a tapestry to look back on.” He explains, “our lives are precious little things, and eventually there won’t really be any part of us left. I think we should acknowledge that.”

Photographer, Justin Harris

Photo taken by Dylan Basden

He describes the faded, illegible headstones he came across on a recent project. “It upset me that I couldn’t read them,” he said. “As I was taking the picture I felt bad for the person under there because they were forgotten. I think our afterlife is what’s left behind when we go - the impressions we made on people, the positive and

from - the grave

Justin Harris - late city light

negative things we did, the objects we leave behind. I have to respect life in that this might be it.”

He considers these captured moments a gift to the future. “I want to make something someone can enjoy for the moment, but as they get older and look back on, it gives them the opportunity to appreciate that evidence they have of themselves in that form, in that moment.”

The Bard Of Baldwin County Performing At A House Show

Justin Harris - late city light

He attributes the impact of his work in large part to “the sweet, talented, troubled people I get to photograph. I think all of us are troubled, and I think it’s a beautiful thing, because somebody else is always going through the same thing.”

Emily Ericson

Justin Harris - late city light

Harris’ photographs are stunning and cinematic, indelible records of moments and emotions. “I tackle a lot of genres,” he says. “I do street photography - gloomy and lonesome depictions of the South. I do a lot of portraits and all of the subgenres of those - funny ones and candid ones, and I love the way event and music photography allows me to capture people.”

AUB Fest

Justin Harris - late city light

His inspiration comes primarily from film, influence that can be seen in his use of color and ability to perfectly capture the right moment. “One movie has really stuck with me over the years, Sideways by Alexander Payne. It has so many subtle jokes, and there’s something really human about the characters that I love. The main character is a pretentious wine snob. Him and his friends lie to themselves and other people, but the movie is really about changing and becoming a better person. Even

though you’re really not great, at least you’re improving yourself. It might be a little pretentious, but I cry every time I get to the end because I think about my flaws and realize that I can work on them too.”

This love of film and movie-making were his original pushes into photography, he says.

“I started taking photos in 2016 because I wanted to make short films, the quality of which are too embarrassing to mention,” he laughs. “I was watching YouTube videos on how to use a camera, and I started trying to take photos the way they did in those videos. I took my cheap beginner camera out in downtown Opelika one night and what I captured wasn’t very good, but looking back, it kept the ball rolling.”

(Left To Right) Mabry Palmer Buttons The Clown & Crystal Koziol Taken In 2017 At A House Party

Justin Harris - late city light

Later that year, Harris hit his stride at a house party in Auburn. “There was a bit of an indie hipster music scene there back then. I took pictures and posted them the next day, and people liked them.” His videography career began at an ad agency in Opelika, where he also had the opportunity to shoot photos for music festivals and a local music studio called The Sound Wall.

Eliza & Nathan sharing a drag

Justin Harris - late city light

“I was shooting a lot of low-light photos with a small sensor and after I bought a new full frame camera in 2021, it really opened up a lot of doors for me,” he says. “I use vintage Nikon lenses from the ‘70’s, which is part of why my photos look the way they do. I have one lens that was manufactured in the USSR, and it was a copy of a German lens - the Soviets stole the schematics for these lenses and made their own copies. I got mine for $50, and for a while I used that lens all the time.

John Evans from Bruh Collective

Justin Harris - late city light

I’m still drawn to the looks that vintage lenses create. The human eye is imperfect, so I think the vintage style is really coming back, and so are the lenses. They’re rough around the edges, and that contributes to that vintage aesthetic that I think is really coming back.”

Yard Art

Justin Harris - late city light

His mission is to “make people appreciate this time in their lives,” he says, and to find the deeper themes in his subjects.

Dakota Blue At Irish Bread Pub In Opelika

Justin Harris - late city light

“I think we can objectify and dehumanize the things we take pictures of,” he explains, “but I think a good photographer makes an image that has depth - not just in the frame - but in the subject’s eyes. I think people see that in my photos, and it used to be very subconscious. I think there is something good in all of us, even if we have political or religious disagreements. I want to believe in that part of people, and I want to capture that. It guides my photos and it guides my art. I hope that people will want me to keep taking pictures of them in the way that I do.”

To see more of his work and to support his art, you can visit his Instagram, Facebook, or Patreon, @latecitylight.

Justin Harris

@latecitylight