​Views of York after dark are the subject of a new book by local photographer Paul Moon. Sue Mason reports . . .

The Yorkshire Museum transformed by a light show in Museum Gardens

It’s purely coincidental that a man whose surname is Moon should produce a book about York after sundown, for he would actually prefer to be taking daytime  photos of the Yorkshire Wolds.

Nevertheless, Nunburnholme-based Paul Moon is rather proud of his newly-published first book, York Illuminated.

The 144-page hardback features more than 140 photographs and shows an aspect of the historic city that many visitors never see, including a deserted Parliament Street, usually one of York’s busiest streets.

Some of the pictures show sunsets but on the whole, the city is shown illuminated by artificial light.

Of course, the Minster is there, but both the city’s famous sites and hidden corners are shown when floodlights and streetlights are switched on for the night.

Paul isn’t afraid to venture from the well-trodden tourist trail  to capture an image of an underground tunnel or a gravestone in a pavement, but nor does he miss the significant events in the city’s tourism calendar; a light show that transformed the museum area and its gardens and the Christmas festivities, including Ice Factor, are featured.

An illuminated fountain in York’s Exhibition Square, with the Minster in the background. This image was chosen for the front cover of Paul’s book

“I’ve been taking photographs since I was a teenager,” says Paul. “More recently I spent a few years building up a portfolio and sent some images to various publishers.” His work attracted the interest of Halsgrove Publishing, who commissioned the book.

“From October last year until March, I was out every night and I attended quite a  few special events,” he says. “There were light shows of images projected on to the facade of St Mary’s Abbey, in Museum Gardens,  that sort of thing.

“Some nights I had no idea where I would go. Once I’d completed the list of all the places I wanted to do, I spent some time finding new locations I’d never even heard of.”

The city’s most famous attraction takes up a good chunk of the book. “The Minster was a focus,” admits Paul. “There are 20 pictures from different angles, as well as shots from the tower.”

He certainly captures the detail we miss when we are breezing round the shops or enjoying a walk in the sunshine. A photograph of a gravestone, dated 1761 and set into the pavement of King’s Square, grabs my attention, as does one of the twisting cobbled pavement of Newgate Court.

As well as familiar sights such as  Bettys, Micklegate  Bar, the railway station and Mansion House, Paul’s pictures show the city’s university campus and even the white-tiled pedestrian tunnel under Scarborough Railway Bridge.

“I knew the city well but I know it even better now,” says Singapore-born Paul, who came to England when he was one year old. “It has a different feel to it at night and at dusk you get a bit of colour in the night time.

“I also learned a lot when I was researching for the captions – that was really interesting.”

Paul Moon in The Wolds

But he admits he’d love his next book to be one that shows the natural beauty of the Yorkshire Wolds. “I’m more of a landscape photographer,” he says. “I love the Yorkshire Wolds and think the scenery is stunning.  I’m drawn to it at different times of the year. I’d love my next book to be the Wolds.”

Illuminated York by Paul Moon, Halsgrove Publishing, is priced £14.99 from good bookshops and online stores.