Tag Archives: bridge

Deception Pass

We made a transit from one location to another that involved two ferries. It was necessary to drive across Whidbey Island to get from one to the other and, aside from the weather meaning there was no action at the Naval Air Station for me to see, it also meant that we would cross Deception Pass. I had no idea about this pass before we drive over it. As we did so, we could see that it was a pretty dramatic spot so we quickly turned around and parked up.

I decided to cross the first bridge to get to the viewing area in the middle. It was raining quite hard but it seemed like it was worth getting wet for. What I hadn’t thought about was my queasiness with heights. While I have no issue with flying and I’m quite happy to sit in the open door of a helicopter while photographing something, I do have an issue with heights in certain circumstances. Walking across high bridges while very close to the edge is one of those. This bridge has a sidewalk but it is not wide and you have traffic very close so you don’t have much scope for staying away from the railings.

My logical mind knows there is nothing wrong and that I am not going to spontaneously flip over the railing but that doesn’t stop me feeling very uncomfortable. However, just like being on the top of high buildings in Chicago for photo shoots, if I want to get the shot, I am going to have to suck it up. It was worth it. The viewing areas in the middle provide some great looks at the structure and the colors of the bridge were enhanced by being so wet. The water below certainly looked turbulent and I can imagine how happy everyone was when the bridge was originally built.

My Timing on the Bridge Was Off

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While reading some of the material at the Donner Memorial, I saw some pictures of a cool looking bridge. A similar style to the Bixby Creek Bridge, this one was above Donner Lake. It is on the old highway which is now bypassed by the interstate. We were heading off in a different direction but we were coming back to Truckee on another day for dinner so I decided to check this place out prior to that. Since it would be early evening, the light should be in a good place too.

It turns out I timed it just a fraction wrong. The sun was low across the lake which did look very nice. Unfortunately, the bridge was in the shadow of the surrounding hills so it was rather subdued compared the rest of the view. A little earlier and it would have looked great. Oh well, too late to change that. Maybe if I am up that way again, I will plan a bit more carefully and see what I can get.

Baker Beach

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The Bay Area is not short of photogenic locations. Probably the most famous is the Golden Gate Bridge. I have certainly photographed it many times from different places. One that I have not shot from before, though, is Baker Beach. Located on the outside of bridge on the south shore, it provides a nice angle on things. I had seen plenty of shots from there before but my previous effort at visiting had occurred on a day when visibility on the shore was just good enough to see your hand in front of your face.

Nancy and I decided to check it out as a fall back when something else we had planned proved to be so busy we couldn’t find anywhere to park. We headed to the beach and strolled along the sand avoiding (most of the time) the waves rolling up on the shore. The view of the bridge was much as expected. As we wandered around, a number of container ships came into view heading for the bay. I was curious to see just how large they looked when compared to the bridge. We loitered until one of them went under the bridge. It suddenly looked a lot less impressive, even though it reached a good distance towards the bridge deck.

Millennium Bridge

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I don’t think I need to let you know when the Millennium Bridge was built. It had a tricky history with the initial configuration experiencing some oscillations as the number of people walking on it increased which resulted in it getting some nicknames involving wobbling. Modifications were made and it is now a great addition to the river. Since it is a pedestrian bridge that connects St Paul’s with the South Bank at Tate Modern, it is very popular.

I find the shape of the bridge very interesting. The cable arrangements that support the bridge are very cool and the ramps at each end add to the interest. While we were there, a few people were using it as a location for filming their own activities which requires them to ignore the vast number of people who are invading their scene! I like the number of people that are there since it really gives an impression of just how popular a bridge it is.

Golden Gate After Dark

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A previous post showed the time lapse video I created from me shot sequence on the Marin Headlands. I didn’t just sit and let the sequence go, though. I also had a second body and took shots with that. Unfortunately, I only took one tripod with me so the initial shots were handheld trying to make use of reasonable handholding technique combined with the benefits of image stabilization in the lenses.

Once the time lapse sequence was done, I was able to use the tripod to get some shots in the dark. Cities always look cool at night. The proliferation of lights makes an interesting skyline look even better. Combine with that the motion of some elements and things get interesting. The motion can help or hinder. Streaking car lights are good but planes in the sky can be a distraction since they take on a significance that was never there when you saw the view.

The Golden Gate Bridge is an interesting foreground element. I chose the spot I wanted, even though I couldn’t park there. I parked further up the hill and walked down. (The walk back in the pitch black was a touch more interesting since the path is narrow at points and drops away very steeply!) Getting the white balance right to show the bridge color as it appears at the time is tricky. Auto analysis is not much use and there are few things that you can sample to give an accurate gray.

I have enjoyed night photography since I first started taking pictures. There is something quite peaceful about being out at night with your camera. However, this location probably doesn’t fit that mold. The place was busy the entire time. Meanwhile, I could watch numerous people taking pictures of themselves and the view struggling to understand why the camera “wasn’t working right”. I helped out a few but, after a while, I decided it was easier to just relax and let everyone do their thing. Without a tripod, there was only so much you could do to help.

Golden Gate Sunset Time Lapse

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After my buddy John had headed back into San Francisco, I had the choice to go home or to head back to the Marin Headlands to see whether I could get some shots across the Golden Gate to the city. The sunset was not too far off although the cloud levels looked like they might take away the best light. However, I figured the transition might make it worth a time lapse attempt.

I had come prepared with both a tripod and an intervalometer. As it turned out, I thought I had got this wrong when the intervalometer had dead batteries. However, I did have a backup plan with the Triggertrap iPhone app. (It turned out later that I had brought spare batteries with me for the intervalometer so I actually had more redundancy than I realized. However, I did manage to harm things a bit by nudging the tripod a couple of times when shooting so it didn’t all go well.

Even so, I did get a good set of shots to process. I was more conscious this time of having some spare footage before and after the sequence to make sure it didn’t have a sudden ending or one that cut off some aspect of motion. This ended up being the tour boats. They come out to the bridge and turn around. They provide some good motion in the sequence but also need to be complete or the eye is too aware of their sudden demise. Consequently, after shooting the sequence I wanted, I had to keep it running for a while in order to avoid the boat suddenly vanishing.

All of this was then processed in Lightroom and LRTimelapse, a program I have posted about before here.

Tacoma Narrows Bridge

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Any engineering student will be familiar with the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. Built in the early part of the twentieth century, this bridge was susceptible to wind induced oscillations which, in certain conditions could set up a resonance condition. Not too long after it was completed, this got out of hand and the bridge bucked and twisted in dramatic fashion until the materials could take it no longer and the structure disintegrated crashing down into the water below. If you want to see this because you are unfamiliar with it (or because it never gets old watching it), the video below will show you what happened.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-zczJXSxnw

The bridge was rebuilt and has lasted since that day although it could no longer manage the volumes of traffic so was joined by a second bridge alongside it relatively recently. I have been over both bridges. However, as we flew past Tacoma, I could see them off in the distance. No great architectural photos here but just something for you engineers out there!

Gratuitous Self Publicist

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If you are searching through the TV listings for something to watch, take a look at Strip the City on the Science Channel. There are a number of episodes from different cities but take a look at the episode about Chicago. One part of the show features the bridges across the river and they include the Michigan Avenue bridge getting jammed open when the weather was too hot.

If you are a regular reader of this blog or a subscriber to my YouTube channel, the footage might seem familiar. Have a look here and you will see what I mean. This is one of a couple of projects where my video footage has been used. I guess video is a useful addition to the portfolio!

Fort Point

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A great place in San Francisco to take people but one that seemingly is ignored by many tourists is Fort Point. Located at the mouth of Golden Gate, it is a fort designed to protect the bay entrance. Now it is right underneath one end of the Golden Gate Bridge so it provides a very different vantage point for bridge viewing.

I forget how interesting a place it can be. We took our visitors there so that they could get the unusual view of the bridge but we ended up spending a lot more time there since the place is very interesting in itself. Why do I not remember that?

The fort structure is very cool and it has a number of exhibits including old cannons, rooms configured as they were when it was in use and displays on the building of the bridge above it. The upper levels provide a great view of the entrance to the bay as well as the bridge and he bay itself. Being so close to the bridge gives you a chance to play with some angles that provide a more distorted view of things which can be quite fun.

Also, you are under some of the ironwork which has great colors and textures. A little HDR can help here to cover the well shaded structures as well as the views beyond that are in full light. Whether you want to see the context or go a little abstract, you can find something to play with. Meanwhile, some panorama options are there to be played with given the shape of the fort and the bridge beyond.

Albion’s Trestle Bridge

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Albion was our resting place for the trip to Mendocino and it has an interesting feature itself. It is the last remaining wood trestle bridge on the Pacific Coast Highway. It is quite a height between the river and the road so this is quite an impressive structure. Of course, I wanted to get some shots of it. From where we were staying, we had a view of the bridge. However, we were on the coastal side of the bridge so it was in shadow in the morning and in the evening, at least by the time we got back, the sun was below the headland so it was in shadow again.

One morning I did head down to the river to see if that provided a good shot. Unfortunately, the area is a campsite so getting access was difficult. I did go back up on the hills looking down and got a better view but the campsite is a little distracting in this view. My best effort was an oblique look along the bridge from the road leading down to the river. A little frustrating photographically but very cool to see anyway.