Bridges Archives - Page 6 of 16

July 28, 2016

Skyway Rainbow

A couple of weeks ago after some afternoon rain I drove up to Fort DeSoto Park to take photos. As I looked back I noticed this rainbow over the bridge. From where I stood it appeared to span about 8 miles from one side of the Sunshine Skyway to the other. To get this photo I took four vertical images, from left to right and stitched them together to form a panorama.

I have mixed feelings about this image. On the one hand the placement of the rainbow over the bridge is nice and if you look close there’s even a double rainbow. If I didn’t know better I might think it was photoshopped. On the other hand the scene lacks drama. That aside I decided to keep it as is, an image of a rainbow over the bridge without much drama.

other skyway photos from the gallery

With some images I take a lot of pains to simplify them in post production. I feel it’s important to not have distractions in an image. This one however needed none of that, just water, sky, bridge and a rainbow. Sometimes images like this just demand to left alone because they have a voice all their own. In this case I suppose I have to agree with that.

July 17, 2016

State of Mind

From a photographic sense I love the summers here in Florida because we get storms during the day. That means in the evening the clouds break and we have sunsets with a lot of colors in the sky. For this shot I grabbed my camera and headed over to a nearby rest stop along the highway. I’ve taken many pictures from here but each one is different in some way. I love gradients in the sky like this. I guess you could say this is a remake of a previous photo, it’s new perspective on a familiar scene.

The other day I wrote something to the effect that photographs are not so much from a place as a state of mind. Each time I go to the same place to take a photo I see and experience it differently. Even if some of the same objects are in the frame, the image reflects a completely different experience. And of course, the time of day, weather and lighting all contribute to that. But the main thing is that if I’m aware of these things, each time they will combine in a different way.

Photo of or around this bridge

When I’m aware of what’s around me then each moment is different and so this is not so much a picture of the bridge but a snapshot of a moment when I experienced this scene. That’s why photography for me is a state of mind. It’s not so much the location but the things I notice and see when I’m present in the moment. Whether it’s something truly new, or something I just noticed for the first time, each time is a new experience and a new image, even if it has some of the same old things.

June 30, 2016June 30, 2016

Waterway Panorama

Lately I’ve been taking panoramas of places near home. This is from the bridge to Anna Maria Island and is four images taken side-by-side and then stitched together. Actually I took six images but the full length is too long for social media.

The images are taken in portrait mode meaning I held the camera on its side. The result is that there is a lot of detail, so much that you can zoom in to see a little things you wouldn’t normally see in a photo. The main reason for doing this is because the print resolution is so good.

I love looking at panoramas displayed on walls. It invites you to get right up close and experience the image in a more personal way. But it is a physical medium, not necessarily a good fit for social media.

full gallery

All that aside, as you can see this was near sunset on a cloudy day and all kinds of strange things happened with the light and how it played out on the water. Funny thing is, had it not been a panorama I might not have even noticed all that detail.

June 19, 2016

Lost in Reverie

This is the Sunshine Skyway Bridge as it leads into Tampa Bay from the Gulf of Mexico. I was standing in my hometown of Palmetto about six miles away when I took this. I used a tripod to steady it since it was dusk and the light was fairly dim. The final image is composed of several parts combined into one. It’s an artistic rendering of the bridge as I imagine it. I do a lot of that with my photography, especially as I visit sites and scenes I’ve shot many times before. You might think I get bored from going to the same places time after time. On the contrary, it’s just the opposite; it fuels a desire to become more creative which in turn opens up all kinds of possibilities.

At times I take pictures just for the raw material of a creative rendering such as this. When I sit down to create the image I use a lot of different tools in the same way a painter uses a brush and pigments. I can spend hours on an project, working away hour after hour lost in creative reverie. Then at some point, I run into a wall and put it aside. Then when I look at it later I may start up again. And so it goes until I’m done.

more unusual images from the gallery

On the one hand I’m never really done with an image like this yet on the other I have to draw a line somewhere. It can be hard to let go sometimes. I’ve walked away from this image several times only to come back and have another go at it. But for now this is it, I’ve drawn the line and I’m off to my next project.

June 15, 2016June 15, 2016

Morning Reflection

The fishing pier at Bradenton Riverwalk is another favorite composition of mine because of how the light plays on the still waters. I’ve taken this shot several times before and I’ll probably continue to take more when I end up here in the morning. I suppose I can start a fishing pier gallery before too long.

As soon as the sun rises the breeze starts which then disturbs the glass-like surface of the water. But during those few minutes at dawn this is what it looks like.

As you probably already know I love reflections in the water, there’s something surreal about it that transforms an ordinary scene in a way that’s hard to explain. I look for reflections whenever I’m out shooting and the more I find the better. Sometimes even a puddle of rain water will do. Reflections are like portals into another world, one that insinuates something more ethereal.

More images of the Riverwalk in Bradenton

So yes, I’m a big fan of reflections, and since this place is close to home you’re likely to see more of them in the weeks and months to come.

June 9, 2016June 9, 2016

Lady in Repose

Another perspective the Ringling bridge from last weekend. I was in another section of the city taking photos and headed home. But then I had one last idea and stopped near the theater for this perspective. I have a collection of images of this bridge in the gallery. I suppose the same would be true of the Golden Gate if I lived in the San Francisco area. For me it’s this bridge in Sarasota.

You never know how a picture will turn out when you first take it. I have two distinct personalities when it comes to photography. One loves to take photos and gets carried away when I’m out shooting, I can a ton of bad shots. The other is a little more thoughtful and comes to the forefront when I download the images onto my computer. He basically filters out all the shots that don’t make the grade. All that said, I almost cut this one but decided to work with it a little, this is the result. So my two photographic personalities are not at all cut-and-dry, there’s a lot of give-and-take.

more images of the Ringling Bridge in Sarasota from the gallery

Selecting photos I’ve shot is very subjective. Someone else might select entirely different images, and to tell the truth I might also depending on my mood. In any case, this image is all about the shape of the bridge and the monochrome treatment is all about accentuating that shape. My idea for this image of the bridge is like a lovely lady in repose.

May 27, 2016

Stuck on a Bridge

A shot of the main bridge near my home between Bradenton and Palmetto. Apparently this is now due for replacement. Bridges have a life span and this one is at its end. I imagine that to replace it will be a couple years of chaos, but that’s the price to pay for progress I suppose. In the old days the bridges were flat, not arched like this. When it came time to replace them they simply turned them into fishing piers. I don’t suppose that will work with these arched versions, they’ll probably just demolish the whole thing.

The traffic over this bridge can be horrendous. But I don’t stress it, besides, what can be better than to be stuck on a bridge in Florida; you can look out and see sailboats or dolphins, the scenery is pretty good. I look forward to getting stuck on bridges here, especially drawbridges, they’re my favorite. Everyone stops and turns off the engine and some folks like me get out of our cars. Its fun to watch the bridge rise and the sailboats pass. I’ve spent a lot of time in traffic over the years, but getting stuck on a bridge in Florida changes your perspective on the experience.

More bridges from the gallery

They’re building another one about five miles upriver. I can hardly wait for that to be built so that I can get pictures from and around it. Anyway, for someone who loves photographing bridges I suppose I live in the right place.

May 26, 2016

Morning Train

The morning train crosses the bridge to Bradenton on it’s way to the orange juice plant. I stood here as it blew its horn which can be heard for miles away. When I’m home I hear the horn at night and for me it’s just part of the daily sounds that make up the fabric of life in this small town. Each time I hear it I know the train is crossing the river.

When I travel to another part of the country or up to Canada and see Tropicana orange juice in a carton, I know it crossed this bridge as it left the plant. It’s a subtle feeling of familiarity when I’m far from home.

Anyway, I love traveling by train, there couldn’t be a more relaxing way to travel. Unlike a plane you can easily get up and walk around. There’s none of the nonsense about landing and takeoff and you can pretty much do as you please.

More images of urban exploration from the gallery

Anyway, I don’t see many passenger trains in my part of Florida. Even so they were largely responsible for the population growth in the last century. Now the trains here mostly serve industry. For instance the Ringling circus train leaves from just the other side of the river. That has a long history, and I know someone who works on that train, but I digress; another story for another day perhaps.

May 17, 2016May 18, 2016

Best Intentions

Earlier this afternoon I got stuck in a thunderstorm, it was the first of many to come this season. I stood under a shelter for about twenty minutes while I waited for it to pass. It finally did and I walked home in a light drizzle and went about my business. In the evening I had it in my mind to see if the clouds would part a little at dusk so I drove to this spot on the opposite side of the river and waited.

This is a three shot panorama of the DeSoto Bridge in Bradenton just a few minutes after sunset. I was glad I followed my hunch.

In the center is one of three bridges, the other two are just behind it. One of the bridges is a railway and while I was here a train crossed the river. The sound of it’s horn and bulk as it lumbered along was the predominant sound on this otherwise peaceful setting.

In fact I heard the train approaching as I drove over here across the DeSoto bridge. I debated whether I should head that way to get some type of train image, or this way for a landscape. In the end the landscape won the day. I’ve shot the train before but there are always opportunities for new compositions with every outing.

More images of Bradenton from the gallery

Sometime I can’t find anything to shoot, other days I can’t make up my mind which way to shoot. Life is a series of decisions that lead to other decisions and in the end we end up exactly where we should, despite our best intentions.

May 16, 2016May 16, 2016

It Is What It Is

A couple of weeks ago we were driving over the bridge towards Ledo Key from Sarasota and I noticed the sky had become an amazing gradient from blue to pink. Suffice to say I came back a couple of evenings later to capture the scene of the palms as they lead to the bay. This is yet another perspective in my never ending quest to find new ways to compose images of this bridge. Maybe one day I’ll do an exhibition on the many faces of the Ringling Bridge, that would be fun.

I’m not the only photographer that loves bridges, it’s fairly common. One place I enjoy looking at other photos of bridges is on Ello. Ello is an amazing place to share photography and there is a group there called ellobridges. The thing about ello is it’s all about the art, not commercial at all. Anyway, here’s the link.

More images of bridges from the gallery

Actually, to be honest the bridge plays only a minor role in this image. This is really a Florida scene with the light of dusk and palm trees. I suppose you could say this is a destination photo with a mix of urban exploration. Surely I’m overthinking it, let’s just say it is what it is.