joerr

Bridge2Past

I was photographing covered bridges in Parke County, Indiana, when I came upon a group in period costume about to cross the bridge. I stopped the lens down to g...
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I was photographing covered bridges in Parke County, Indiana, when I came upon a group in period costume about to cross the bridge. I stopped the lens down to get the best depth of field, but have a long exposure so the bridge is sharp, but the figures give a ghostly, other world look. Notice the wedding cake on the table in the bridge.
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Canon EOS 20D

settings

Aperture f/32.0 ISO 100 Shutter 1/2

upload_date

Jan, 2015

Views

652

Likes

+24

Awards

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Behind The Lens

Location

In 2006 I went to the Covered Bridge Festival in Parke County, Indiana. That's about 50 miles west of Indianapolis. They have the festival each Fall. This particular photo was taken in Billie Creek Village, which is a a 70-acre open-air living history museum and park. The ghostly people in the photo are costumed members of the museum staff on their way into work.

Time

I got up before dawn to drive around to all the covered bridges in the area and find the best ones to shoot. This shot was right around 7:30 am. The museum openned around 8 or 9 am and the folks who worked there were just arriving for work. I think there was to be a wedding that day, because there is a wedding cake sitting on a table inside the bridge.

Lighting

The lighting was challenging. I wanted not only the bridge, in shadows, but the colorful fall folliage, in full sunlight.

Equipment

I had just gotten a Canon 20D with a 17-85 kit lens and had been making the conversion from film to digital. I stopped the lens down as far as it would go (f/32) using aperture priority, with a half second exposure. Obviously, I used a tripod. I shot the photo in RAW.

Inspiration

The ghostly figures were serendipitous: they walked through my shot! I've always said I'd rather be lucky than good. :-)

Editing

Yes, I had to compensate for the breadth of lighting. I took care of bringing out the shadows of the bridge and toneing down the bright trees and sky in Photoshop. One of the advantages of shooting in RAW is the ability to do more in post production.

In my camera bag

I normally carry extra lenses (a wide angle prime and a medium zoom). I get the best glass I can afford. I always have extra batteries and cards. Usually I'll pack a tripod.

Feedback

In any landscape photo you need to catch the light (dawn or sunset). That usually means getting up before dawn to arrive at your shooting location. It's best to scout it out that the day before, but in this case, I didn't have the time off to take the extra day. There's an old addage in landscape photography that you shoot at f/22 with a tripod. It gives you excellent depth of field and sharp photos.

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joerr

joerr

Bridge2Past

I was photographing covered bridges in Parke County, Indiana, when I came upon a group in period costume about to cross the bridge. I stopped the lens down to g... Read more

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow joerr

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I was photographing covered bridges in Parke County, Indiana, when I came upon a group in period costume about to cross the bridge. I stopped the lens down to g...
Read more

Share photos. Enter contests to win great prizes.
Earn coins, get amazing rewards. Join for free.