The Memorial Bridge
My first attempt at night photography and I think I am completely hooked. This is the Memorial Bridge in Portsmouth, New Hampshire with lightning lighting up th...
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My first attempt at night photography and I think I am completely hooked. This is the Memorial Bridge in Portsmouth, New Hampshire with lightning lighting up the clouds behind it.
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Mar, 2016Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
The Memorial Bridge spans the Piscataqua River. On one side is Portsmouth, New Hampshire and on the other side is Kittery, Maine. This was taken from the Portsmouth side.Time
It was probably around 9pm when I took this shot. We had been having big thunderstorms all day so a friend of mine and I headed out to Portsmouth to see if we could get in the path of a few and catch some lightning shots. After the sunset both the bridge and the sky lit up. It was a pretty amazing thing to witness.Lighting
I did not provide any additional lighting to this photo. I had a speedlight with me, but being so close to a fairly busy road, I didn't think it would be a good idea to use it. Instead I used a long exposure which allowed me to capture the lightning in the clouds and the light trails from the cars going by.Equipment
This was taken with a Nikon D7000 and Nikkor 24-70 2.8 on a Manfrotto tripod. No other equipment was used.Inspiration
A few years ago the original Memorial Bridge was replaced with a brand new bridge (also called the Memorial Bridge). The new bridge was outfitted with LED lighting that comes on after dark and cycles through many different colors. When the decision was made to get out in front of some of that day's storms around sunset and after dark, the Memorial Bridge immediately came to mind as the place to be.Editing
This is a single exposure processed first in Lightroom and finished in Photoshop. I fixed some distortion issues and then set out making sure the colors were as vibrant as I remembered them in my mind's eye.In my camera bag
I typically pack pretty light when I go out, but I always have with me my Nikon 24-70 2.8 and Tokina 11-16 2.8. When I feel I might need it I also pack my Nikon 80-200 2.8. Other than that I make sure to have ND and CP filters, spare battery and extra SD cards just in case. I also always have either a tripod or monopod with me.Feedback
Patience is key. This was the best of about 15-20 attempts from this spot and it was one of the last ones I took. Had I tried only a couple of times and moved on I would not have gotten this shot, which is one of my favorites shots.
