It Happened One Night

Sunlight has faded, and as darkness covers the capital the denizens of Tallahassee’s night scene prepare themselves for another day. All over town an army of students, police, firefighters, bartenders, professors, sewer workers, bus drivers, shelter workers and emergency room doctors settles in for their nightly duties.

Some of these night owls work a few hours and go home while others are in for a long night. Whatever their job, they are a vital part of Tallahassee’s economy. But what really goes on behind the scenes when the rest of the city sleeps?

To answer that, Tallahassee Magazine recently sent seven teams of reporters and photographers across the darkened city landscape to chronicle what happens after the sun goes down. From the maddening rush of fire trucks to the roar of red-eye jets at the airport, we were there, recording, in one night, the lives and paths of the people who live for the graveyard shift.

A project like this doesn’t just happen, er, overnight. Months of planning went into securing the cooperation of the businesses and agencies involved. Each reporting team was given six assignments in two-hour blocks, and was responsible for making final logistical preparations. The result is an insightful photographic essay that allows the reader to see the world from a surprising perspective.

It’s 3 a.m. Do you know where your city is?

Photo Slideshows

Click to view photos from 6-8 p.m.: Tallahassee Regional Airport, Zumba, Doak Campbell Stadium, Food Glorious Food, controlled burn, Poetry Reading, Miller Landing, City Hall, Tallahassee Community College, Hindu prayers, Springtime Tallahassee floats and My Favorite Things.

Click to view photos from 8-10 p.m. : Flying over Tallahassee, sorority house, Animal Hospital, baseball practice, Leon County Sheriff's helicopter, Tallahassee Fire Department, Gold's Gym, rugby practice, soccer tournament, Advanced Tattoo, Tallahassee Little Theatre, Sleep Center.

Click to view photos from 10 p.m.-12 a.m. : The Shelter, Leon County Sheriff's cruiser, A&J's Blues Cafe, Miraclt Theatre, car crash, Greyhound bus station, PAT Live, Hot 104.9.

Click to view photos from 12-3 a.m. : Bullwinkles, Blessed Sacrament, Target Copy, Park Avenue Diner, CRMC Emergency Room, Tallahassee Fire Department, I-10, Tallahassee Democrat, Post Office, Tallahassee Diagnostic Imaging, K9 Unit, Night Nole bus.

Click to view photos from 3-5 a.m. : Tallahassee Police Department, Leon County Jail, TMH Labor & Delivery, Meridian Road, e-mailing teacher, Water Treatment Plant, WCTV.

Click to view photos from 5-7 a.m. : School buses, The Capitol, Tri-Eagle Distributors, FSU women's soccer, Summerbrooke, joggers, Southwood Golf Course.

Video Documentary: How It Happened One Night

This video documentary goes behind the scenes of the Tallahassee Magazine cover feature in the May/June 2007 issue, "It Happened One Night" as seven photographers set out to capture what goes on in Tallahassee from sun down to sun up.