Canyon Diablo Bridge
Aug, 2015Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
I was on a road trip through Arizona, exploring the abandoned iconic trading posts along Route 66, when I decided to take a little detour. I drove north to the small town of Leupp, which lies just north of Canyon Diablo. I was exploring the awesome stone ruins of Sunshine Trading Post, when I saw the skeleton of this old bridge in the distance. I followed a rough dirt path that was once a well-traveled road until I reached the bridge and the dry riverbed it straddles. I was amazed to see such a beautiful piece of engineering out in the middle of nowhere.Time
It was about 1 pm and the desert sun was almost directly overhead. The sky was mostly clear except for the wispy white clouds in the distance. I was so caught up in the excitement of exploring the old ruins that I barely noticed how scorching hot it was outside. By the time I got back to my car I was so thirsty that I gulped down an entire 1.5 liter bottle of water.Lighting
I just happened to be in the right place at the right time. The lighting was perfect. Some say that midday is the worst time to take photos, but I disagree.Equipment
I was just becoming interested in photography and had not yet gotten a fancy camera, so I shot this with my Samsung Galaxy Note 4 phone, which was the only camera I had on me at the time.Inspiration
I'm obsessed with capturing photos of decaying structures, so when I saw this old skeletal bridge, I knew I had to get a good shot of it. I tried many different angles, but it was difficult to find one that I really liked. In the end, this was my favorite. I like the geometry of it and the fact that it includes the entire structure. I even like that it's not perfectly symmetrical.Editing
I didn't do any post-processing on this photo. I was pretty fortunate that it turned out the way it did with just my camera phone.In my camera bag
I try to pack only the bare essentials, since I sometimes end up exploring some pretty tight spaces and walk long distances. I carry a Sony DSC RX100M3. It's a great camera because it's small enough to fit in my pocket, yet it has a very good sensor that captures images at a quality comparable to larger, bulky DSLRs. I also carry extra batteries because I never know how long I'll be out exploring and I can't stand the thought of running out of juice. I also bring my phone to record my GPS coordinates, since my camera lacks that capability. And I bring a headlamp and compact flashlight that casts a very uniform circle of light, which is perfect for illuminating dark places such as abandoned structures, which are my favorites to explore. I bring my tripod along if I'm going to be doing night photography. I bring utility gloves if I'm exploring old industrial sites where I might need to do some climbing and a dust mask in places where the air quality is suspect.Feedback
Be patient. Spend time considering the optimal angle for the shot. Snap as many shots as you want until you get it just right. We're lucky to live in a digital age when you don't have to worry about wasting film!
