Stephen Wilkes Inauguration, Washington DC, Day to Night

Photographer Stephen Wilkes is one of America's most iconic photographers, widely recognized for his fine art, editorial and commercial work. Day to Night, Wilkes's most defining project, began in 2009. These epic cityscapes and landscapes portrayed from a fixed camera angle for up to 30 hours capture fleeting moments of humanity as light passes in front of his lens over the course of a full day. A select group of these images are then seamlessly blended into one photograph, capturing the changing of time within a single frame.

“I like to describe myself as a collector of magical moments,” he has explained.  “My work is a combination of art & science.  I’m exploring the space time continuum within a 2 dimensional still photograph.  Time is something we’ve never been able to put our minds around, yet in a unique way these images begin to put a face on time.”

Stephen Wilkes has teamed up with 4D Brands International to launch a full puzzle collection of the Day to Night Series. With over forty epic images to come, you can expect to experience all the famous and historic places that Stephen has captured throughout his decade long project.

In 2013, I had the incredible opportunity to be granted permission to photograph President Obama's second inauguration. It was an extremely cold day, with estimates of 1 million people in attendance. From setup to breakdown, I spent 20+ hours in a scissor lift witnessing a sea of waving flags, cheers from proud constituents, and the pride of the nation, all illuminated by a bright and colorful sunrise. During the day, planes landing at Ronald Reagan Airport created gusts of wind that shook the lift, threatening to blur my exposures.  The final image was worth the stress and more, as I was able to create an image that captures the sentiments of the day, as well as of the years of Obama's presidency.  I am so honored to have been part of such a momentous day in history.