NICOLAS^
RUELDouble Take
The more you look,
the more you see. And
what at first seems
familiar soon morphs
into the surreal. For
the captivating images
of his Cityscape series,
Nicolas Ruel takes
inspiration from the
world’s busiest places,
where people and
action converge within
a framework of iconic
architecture.
The Montreal-born
photographer has
captured more than 60
cities with his double-
exposure technique
that involves pointing
the camera in one
direction for four sec-
onds and then another
for four more seconds,
while the shutter
remains open.
In this layered vision
of Palace Square in
St. Petersburg, Russia,
Ruel shows modern-
day denizens alongside
grand relics of the
imperial past, such as
the General Staff Build-
ing with its triumphal
arch and the Alexander
Column honoring an
emperor. (The Winter
Palace dazzles just
out of view.) From
mid-June to early July,
the city becomes espe-
cially lively as it revels
in the White Nights,
when the sun casts a
24-hour glow—a sight
that is in itself surreal.
—Brooke Sabin