Shots in the dark

As a young boy, George Seitz was fascinated with the night sky, and said he has always felt at home skulking around in the dark.

His affinity for being able to see but not be seen worked in his favor when Seitz began taking pictures of Newport Beach locales for his black-and-white photography exhibit, “Newport Beach apres nuit-Night Images,” on display at the Newport Beach Public Library through February.

“I was tramping in bushes and sneaking into people’s yards [to get some of the shots]. I’m surprised I wasn’t thrown in jail,” Seitz said.

Seitz immersed himself in the project, shooting only in the dark, and often in winter, because it stays darker longer, he said.

Sometimes he woke in the middle of the night to be able to capture elements of light and mood, and often Seitz shot buildings and streets from unique angles.

“Newport Beach was home to all these landmark places,” that no one would even think of photographing, Seitz said. And if they did, not necessarily in ways one might think of.

“I shot the Reuben E. Lee, but I shot the reflection of the paddle wheel in the water,” Seitz said. That required some thinking on the part of the observer.

“You had to figure out what it was when you looked at the photograph.”

When it comes to his photography, Seitz believes life is better seen in terms of black and white. Color, he said, is just about the color.

“Black and white has a unique look of its own. The quality of light becomes part of the image, and forces you to come up with your own interpretation of what you’re seeing,” Seitz said.

Seitz is an architect, and said his philosophy and approach to photography mirrors the concepts he has always applied to the way he designs and creates when it comes to architecture.

“The look is clean and pretty minimalist,” he said.

Many of the areas Seitz photographed brought back personal memories for him, especially the one of Blackie’s By the Sea, a popular beach hangout for locals.

As a young boy, and later as a college student attending USC, Seitz spent a lot of time at the Balboa Island house his parents had owned since the late 1960s, and would frequent the local tavern often for a beer.

That photograph is also a personal favorite, Seitz said, and apparently other people feel the same way about the place.

“I sell more prints of that picture than any other one. It’s a part of people’s history, as far as how much they frequented the place,” Seitz said.

Susan Spiritus has represented Seitz at her Newport Beach gallery since the photographer brought his work for her to appraise in the late ’90s.

Seitz thought the collection had some merit, he said, but he also needed a reality check, which required an informed, outside opinion.

Seitz had his epiphany, he said, the ultimate validation, when Spiritus looked at him and said simply, “I think these are wonderful.”

There are 40 photographs in the Newport Beach Night Images collection, 12 of which are hanging in the library. The Susan Spiritus Gallery is exhibiting all 40.

Spiritus feels the reason the exhibit holds together so well is because it has a solid theme.

“I love the fact that this series is so consistent. All the photographs were taken at night, and George goes around Newport Beach and hits all of the iconic places.”

Places and locations that people recognize immediately, Spiritus said, like Newport Harbor High School and the church on Heliotrope, because they are such well-known places.

Newport Beach Arts commissioner Robyn Grant said having the exhibit at the library is a great way to showcase an artist’s work in a non-competitive, friendly setting that enables local artists to communicate with the community.

The exhibits at the library tend to be smaller, Grant said, and while people may not be coming in initially to view art, when they see the photographs they stop.

The Seitz exhibit is unique, Grant said, because it’s black-and-white.

“The lighting shows something you’ve seen before, but draws your eye in a different way and has the added human element of having been there,” she said.

And sometimes, even the photographer’s eye is drawn to something he or she didn’t notice at first.

One night, Seitz went to shoot Ruby’s restaurant on the Balboa pier.

There was heavy fog, his favorite thing to shoot in. Seitz was completely focused on getting the shot and was sure he was the only person crazy enough to be out there in weather like that, at that time of night.

Until he developed the picture in his darkroom, Seitz never noticed the couple on the pier, embracing by the rail.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: George Seitz photography exhibit, “Newport Beach apres nuit-Night Images”

WHEN: Through February.

WHERE: Newport Beach Central Library, 1000 Avocado Ave.

COST: Free

INFO: Library hours are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday; noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Call (949) 717-3800

To view the collection at the Susan Spiritus Gallery, 3929 Birch St., Newport Beach, call (949) 474-4321

SUE THOENSEN may be reached at (714) 966-4627 or at sue.thoensen@latimes.com.