Cardiff after dark: Maciej Dakowicz photographs the nightlife of the Welsh capital

[Paul T.]

A brilliant collection, I think... a sequence of images that adds up to more than the sum of its parts; nearly every one has a little quirk that elevates it from the predictable.

Cardiff After Dark

Last time I was in Cardiff, I walked towards a pub about 30 yards behind another guy who looked not unlike me, ie not fat, slightly trendy, like he didn't belong round these parts. There was a bunch of guys slumped outside the pub, one of them in a vest, his belly stretched out so you couldn't see the top of his pants, bald, with a shiny, pasty face: "you f**kin' po**f" he yelled at the fella, with an anger I couldn't quite understand. I was with a mate, a gangly fella wearing a quirky vintage tweed suit. We decided we wouldn't go to the pub.

 

[jky]

He's an incredible photographer - check out his flickr stream.

 

[paulfish4570]

this is a fine set of photos, and overall very disturbing.
cardiff appears to be sort of a new orleans french quarter without the humidity, with all of the garbage, yet with much shorter skirts.
oh yeah, that fellow getting roughed up by the police must have been behaving very, very badly to draw their ire, considering the other photos.

 

[crawdiddy]

Great photos. Looks like a wild place.

Not to be judgmental, but these photos say "Eurotrash" to me.

 

[xayraa33]

I enjoyed seeing some of those photos as disturbing as some are.

The wonders and tribulations of alcohol, they need to revive the temperance league in that city.
The ladies shoe shops do as good a business as the pubs do over there.

Nice gams on some of those Cardiff gals.

 

[batterytypehah!]

I honestly find it would be better edited down to half as many pictures. Some are just outstanding, but not all of these, by far.

 

[Dunn]

I had just looked at this on Lens blog before seeing your post.

Some very nice and interesting images. He definitely captures the nightlife well.

http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/23/st-mary-street/

 

[andredossantos]

Excellent set! Thanks for posting!

 

[Keith]

True grit!

 

[Paul T.]

The photog himself commented that he was surprised by the intensity of the drinking, compared to Poland. But that the crowds were mostly good-humoured.

I find it fascinating, precisely because the people seem to have an energy about them, especially factoring in the guys in drag, or women dressed as Heidi.

The drinking, I think, is traditional in Britain, it's always been known for it. Maybe I'm weird, I was just as shocked by the rubbisn. Why don't the local authorities supply bigger trash bins, or force the fast-food sellers to do so?

He has a lot more good photos than this selection. I think they're somehow timeless - like a great shoot of an endangered tribe from National Geographic!

 

[Haigh]

Thanks for posting these. The guy has a terrific eye for a shot.

 

[bigeye]

How far is Cardiff from (New) Jersey?

.

 

[Jamie123]

A bit off topic, but that Telegraph website must be the worst online gallery ever. Is it really necessary to reload the whole page everytime one clicks 'next'.

Good photo series. It's been around for a while, though. I remember seeing it ages ago on flickr.

 

[mugent]

Great pics of an unpleasant subject. A lot of provincial towns and cities in the UK are like this, people drink until they pass out, and do this every friday night.

Litter is the norm in the UK, I often see people just dropping stuff in the street when they are only a few steps from a bin (trashcan). One the first things that I notice when visiting other countries, Canada or Australia, is the lack of litter.

Eye opening pics though.