Infinite Bridge
Apr, 2017Views
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Awards
Action Award
Chatter Award
Zenith Award
Top Shot Award 22
Creative Winter Award
Curator's Selection
Winner in Squares and Triangles Photo Challenge
Contest Finalist in Diagonals And Composition Photo Contest
Peer Choice Award
People's Choice in Leading Lines Photo Challenge
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Outstanding Creativity
Absolute Masterpiece
Magnificent Capture
All Star
Virtuoso
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Impressed
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken around the quad cities somewhere along the Iowa and Illinois border. I was traveling to Davenport, Iowa from Chicago to watch and attempt to photograph the bald eagles nesting along the Mississippi River. I drove up to this bridge to cross it and was instantaneously enamored by its architecture.Time
This was taken on January 7, 2017 at 1:52 PM. It was a bitterly freezing cold winter day with temperatures ranging from four degrees to a max of twenty two degrees Fahrenheit. I was concerned with how my equipment would perform at such temperatures and I learned by the sound of the freezing gears of the lens that I was only able to use my camera in short bursts.Lighting
I know I broke the rules as far as the ideal time of day to take a photo. I guess I’ll consider this time to be nicknamed the white hour as far as the winter sun is concerned. Not always the best time to take outdoor photos but in this case, because of the structure, it allowed some filtering of the bright winter sun and created beautiful highlights and shadows. I didn’t have a choice on what type of lighting I wanted for this photo because of the urgency this photo needed to be shot. This self described “white hour” of the afternoon winter sun isn’t usually desirable but it was all I had. It ended up being the perfect light to showcase the bridge’s beams, every bolt in place, and the texture of the deck grating. The bright light coming through the left of the bridge enhanced the lines and angles perfectly. I believe every one of those elements are important and make this photo what it is.Equipment
This photo was shot on a Nikon d5500, with a Nikon DX AF-S Nikkor 55-200mm f/4.0-5.6 lens. No other equipment was involved.Inspiration
The raw beauty of the bridge’s industrial architecture prompted me to stop my car for a moment to quickly grab my camera. Luckily because of the weather, traffic behind me was quite light for the afternoon and for a little while there wasn’t a vehicle behind me. I knew if I didn’t take advantage of this rare moment I’d regret it and end up missing out on a great opportunity. I stopped my vehicle right there in my lane and after I assessing I was safe for a moment I jumped out. I leaned against my car for support and locked my elbows along my sides to keep my camera steady and I used the lines of the bridge itself as my guide for a level position.Editing
I originally shot this photo in raw format and in color. Once I saw the photo I knew I had something special but I also knew it could be so much more. The photo has an artistic element that I wanted to enhance. Using Lightroom, I changed it from color to black and white because it enhanced every detail and by removing color, your eyes are able to focus on the geometry and textures. In the original photo there is a car in the distance in front of me. Since I wanted to focus solely on the beauty of the lines and angles of this bridge, I edited the photo in Photoshop and removed the car. Once that car was gone another thought came to mind. The bridge seemed to have this fantastic, almost surreal tunneling effect happening. At least that’s what I saw in my mind. I wanted to play upon that and closed off the small opening of the other end of the bridge by extending it to a point of infinity which I felt lended this photo an imaginative element.In my camera bag
At the moment I only own one camera which is my red Nikon d5500 with my handmade red vintage style Hendrix camera strap from Couch Guitar Straps. With that, I carry my go-to lens, a Nikon DX AF-S Nikkor 55-200mm f/4.0-5.6 lens. If that range is too much for me I switch to my Nikon DX AF-S Nikkor 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5 lens. Some other fun toys I like to keep with me is my Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 wide angle lens, my Kenko extension tubes, and my crystal lens ball which I’m still waiting for the perfect opportunity to use.Feedback
I know certain photos take patience and time to get that perfect moment but in this case, I had no time to wait and I had to think and act fast. I was at the mercy of traffic. Thankfully the cold temperatures kept a lot of people indoors that day, but nonetheless I wasn’t in a very safe position. However, I feel that some of the best photos I’ve ever taken were shot in less than ideal surroundings. Ultimately, my advice is to take chances. I’m not advocating putting yourself in danger, but try getting close to something that you don’t normally get to get up close to. Take chances. An oops is always better than a what-if to me. Taking chances doesn’t necessarily require you to jump out of your car in the middle of the street on a bridge of course but start small like taking a day trip even during times of freezing temperatures. If it wasn’t for the chilling weather that afternoon, I may have not had the opportunity to take this photo.
