I’ve long known this bridge. It stood proudly near Portsmouth (NH) harbor as long as I knew. I remember driving across it in my grandparents car. I remember being wildly excited to drive over to another state! When you’re 6 or 7 years old, travelling to another state was a big deal! Right? The nifty thing about this bridge was how it made way for tall ships and boats. The center span raised up, much like an elevator. It was a sight to see!
Fast forward a bit.
Five years ago, I spent a cool spring night navigating the area near Prescott Park & Strawberry Banke. I was hunting for a subject to capture in the half moon light. After an hour or so, I felt discouraged at the lack of subjects that seemed to want to present themselves. And then I turned a corner… and was reintroduced to an old friend.
There was a sign telling all nearby that the bridge was set to be demolished. I was sad, but then realized I needed to capture this bridge on microchip. I set about with tripod and camera trying to find the right angle to catch the span of the bridge. I found the right spot along a pier and began to experiment with light and color.
My intention was to highlight the street lamps that illuminated the interior structure of the bridge and not the night sky. In doing so, I painted the piling posts with the blue hues of lighting on the pier. Tones of red from buoy markers, boats and the like dabbled on the water surface.
After 4 or 5 tries, I found the exposure I liked.
I also found that printing this to a metallic paper draws attention to the detail of the steel. The cold of it. I’ve come to see different things every time I view this image. It prints and presents well in semi-panoramic prints. The one I have is 13″ x 24″ and has a proud spot in my office.
I have since learned that Memorial Bridge is being rebuilt and is expected to open later this summer.
I have a new subject to capture. I think I’ll look to the night sky again to illuminate the new bridge in a similar grandeur as the old.