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Landscapes transform after the sun goes down. No longer illuminated by the sun, the city glows from within. Glaring LEDs light up streets with a blue tint, while the few remaining sodium vapor lights fill the atmosphere with a soft, warm haze. Fluorescent lights fill you with an eerie, liminal feeling. Neon creates a sense of colorful happiness. Mixed together, they paint the city.

A worker sweeps up after closing for the night on Jan. 12 at Health Camp Burgers and Shakes on the Waco traffic circle on Jan. 8. Credit: Justin Hamel / The Waco Bridge / CatchLight Local / Report for America
The historic Gulf station on Washington Avenue on Jan. 8. Gary and Randy Balusek restored the late-1920s service station in 2014. Credit: Justin Hamel / The Waco Bridge / CatchLight Local / Report for America
Reed’s Flowers on Austin Avenue and 11th Street, its location since 1930, on Jan. 8. Credit: Justin Hamel / The Waco Bridge / CatchLight Local / Report for America
A house in the Dean Highland neighborhood is illuminated from the inside on July 4, 2025. Credit: Justin Hamel / The Waco Bridge / CatchLight Local / Report for America
A mixture of fog and smoke from fireworks wafts through the air in the Dean Highland neighborhood on July 4, 2025. Credit: Justin Hamel / The Waco Bridge / CatchLight Local / Report for America
A nearby stoplight and billboard illuminate gravestones for sale at Phipps Memorial on La Salle Avenue on Jan. 8. Credit: Justin Hamel / The Waco Bridge / CatchLight Local / Report for America
Some 4,000 crosses representing unborn human lives are illuminated by fluorescent lighting at Rachel’s Memorial Park at 4720 N. 19th St. near Premier High School on Jan. 8. Credit: Justin Hamel / The Waco Bridge / CatchLight Local / Report for America

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Justin Hamel is a visual journalist for the Bridge through a partnership with Catchlight and Report for America. He’s excited to help shape the Bridge’s visual journalism by ensuring every story includes...