Espen Krukhaug traveled the world in his bid to portray the singular nature of the quietest time of the day. Catch the difference between these silent cities in his exhibition Before Dawn.

What is it about the time before dawn that makes it so intriguing?
The quietness. You can walk around somewhere that is incredibly busy during the day, but at night, it is quiet. And the light, with a long exposure, you can capture some very special lighting that you can’t see with your eyes, but you can capture with a camera. It is almost like you are stealing something from nature
itself.

How did you organize taking these pictures in all these different cities?
Some of the cities I traveled to, I would spend all day sleeping and then would wander around the city at night, like a creature from an Edgar Allan Poe story. Others I took in cities when I was working as a tour manager for some musicians. I would force them into bed and would then sneak out like an irresponsible parent.

What was the overall experience like?
Cold, sleepless nights and jet lag.

Which city was your favorite and why?
I am not sure if I have a favorite place, but of course, there are places that I remember better. Like Bryansk in Russia, where it smelled of diesel. Like Lansing outside of Detroit in the USA, where I had to have a bodyguard while shooting the photos. There are places that I miss as well, like Venabufjellet in Norway, where I can be by myself, wandering alone in the mountains.

Did you encounter any problems while shooting these pictures?
Not really, I guess the worse thing was being stopped a number of times by the cops. But what can you expect, when you have a guy looking like a tramp wandering around with a camera late at night!