Bridge over the Columbia

All comments welcome. Thanks for your time.

Beautiful lighting and contrast, very nice perspective

Nice composition, the graphic impact is strong

Great composition and mood. Exceptional job processing.

great point of view ian, good exposure. looks great.

What a dream location. Excellent perspective and a nice surface on the water.

 

Simon

Very well captured. I love the composition, great lighting and B&W tones. All very nice!

Excellent viewpoint, and outstanding clarity and B&W tones. Bravo! The water looks so glass-like....did you use a special effect for this?

Great composition.

Christine, Milena, Jim, Gary, Simon, Douglas, Christal, and Henri, thank you all very much!

 

Christal, the glass-smooth surface is the result of long exposure (8 seconds). This was possible by stopping all the way down (to f/16) and:

 

1. The is 5:00 AM and it was heavily overcast. So, the light levels were quite low.

 

2. I used a 4-stop ND to extend the exposure.

 

3. I might have also had a polarizer on to further extend the exposure; but, not set to actually remove the reflected light (as I wanted the surface reflections).

 

Hope that helps.

 

P.S. Anyone looking for this perspective on the bridge, this is low tide, out on the (high-tide submerged) rocks of the retaining walls behind the hotel at the base of the bridge (Best Western?).

 

 

i like the shadow on the water very dramatic!

Just... Superb!

Very nice lines, mood and composition....great work...congrats...LJ

Beautifully conceived and executed! The water has just the right amount of softening from your 8 sec. exposure. I love how it softens the reflections of the old pilings and makes them so distinct from the actual pilings. The perspective is great, I like the way the two subjects run parallel. I love the tones of the hills on the far shore. If it had been possible to gain some height for the camera and thus separate the pilings from the bridge base with some open water that would have been nice, however I suspect that would have involved a step ladder out in the water.

"If it had been possible to gain some height for the camera and thus separate the pilings from the bridge base with some open water that would have been nice, however I suspect that would have involved a step ladder out in the water."

 

Actually I am down a fair ways from the top of the shoreline. The rock-pile I am standing on would have been covered by high-tide. So, gaining height wouldn't have been too much trouble. But, gaining height to separate the pilings and the bridge would have moved the position of the horizon against the main piers of the bridge support -- and I wanted that line to exactly halve the support bases. I was content enough that the pilings were separated from the opposing shoreline.

 

Ian, I came to this one several times, as I was attracted especially to the unusual angle , triangle and swing your point of camera has created with the bridge and surrounding. It is a very ballanced composition ( despite the sharp angle) with the upright middle part( more triangls.....) and the upright poles in the water that are adding as well. The light and soft shadows are beautiful, because they are soft, so the water are shining like a mirror. I like the way the far part of the bridge touches the earth on the other side, a fact that gives it a good perspective and DOF. Very nice composition, taken in a very good timing. B/W is a perfect choice.

Pnina, thank you very much. I am glad this has warranted return visits and that you can say it feels balanced. I was worried when I took it that all the weight would be on the left side of the frame -- but, it seems to have worked.