Very old. In fact, it's called the Old Bridge, or Ponte Vecchio in Italian, and it is situated in the beautiful Italian town of Florence. It is believed that the original bridge across the Arno at this, its narrowest point, was constructed by the Romans. You cross the Ponte Vecchio through an arcade of galleries and shops, many of them jewellery related. The bridge was fortunate to have survived World War II, apparently at the express instructions of Hitler.
The bridge is a tourist attraction in its own right, and is situated in a city that overflows with tourist venues - think David, the Duomo and the various Medici palaces. Be prepared for quite a crowd if you should visit it.
This photo is over 20 years old. I walked away from the bridge to try to capture the reflection of its three arches in the water below. The colours seem to me to be particularly Tuscan, and although some would argue that the bridge is no architectural marvel, its history and iconic stature certainly make it a pictorial must.
TFF
Back to Brisbane today for our largest and highest bridge, the Gateway Bridge. High enough for all but the biggest ships to pass under, the Gateway dominates the skyline at the mouth of the Brisbane River. Construction has commenced on a duplicate bridge to cope with the increasing Brisbane traffic.
The Gateway Bridge was completed over 20 years ago, after years of construction to achieve its 260 metre length,making it the longest bridge of its type in the world. The original bridge caused the Royal Queensland Golf Club, situated on the river's northern side, some major alteration, and to allow for the new bridge, the club's layout has this time been completely reconfigured.
This picture was taken from a marina on the southern side of the river, looking back over the bridge towards the city. I took the photo at sunset after a pleasant afternoon spent on a boat cruising the river.
EXIF: Canon A620; auto
TFF
My friend and fellow blogger, Janet (check out her food history blog, The Old Foodie), on seeing my series on bridges, asked me whether I had any pictures of old stone bridges in English villages. Well Janet, if I've been there, and it has a bridge, I probably have a photo of it! So, I trawled through my images (memo to self: catalogue your images - key words are your friend!) and found this picture. I knew that I had taken it in the Cotswolds in May, 1986; but beyond that I had no clue.
Following the most optimistic of thoughts, I went to Google and searched the name of the tea room just over the bridge, The Mad Hatter. And, eureka, I found it: Bourton-on-the-Water, in the Cotswolds as I thought - a delightfully English village setting.
It is worth clicking on the image to see it in more detail. There is a lovely blue sky, that green grass that you only seem to see in England, stately brick buildings, the bridge over the River Windrush- and even a duck (more if you look closely!)
TFF
Today, in Australia, is Anzac Day, the day when we recall the sacrifices made by ordinary Australians who found themselves caught in situations not of their making, but where nonetheless they were expected to risk their lives. Most of us alive today are fortunate not to have been placed in that position, but recognise that our lives would be totally different if it were not for the efforts of those who were.
This bridge is near a little town called Kanchanaburi, 130 km west of Bangkok in Thailand. Allied prisoners of war were forced to build it as part of the Burma railway during World War II. The infamous Burma railway caused the death of more than 16,000 men out of the 60,000 who were engaged in its construction. Many of the survivors had been systematically starved and subjected to brutal treatment at the hands of their Japanese captors. The bridge still exists, and is still used,although these days its major function is as a memorial.
I visited the bridge in 1992, and was fortunate enough to witness a fabulous sound and light show that recounted the story of the bridge and the soldiers who constructed it. Like all war memorials, it provides an extremely moving experience, and causes one to hope that others will not suffer as these men did. I can still recall the chill I felt as I walked across the bridge.
Many people would have seen the famous film, starring Alec Guinness and William Holden, that won several Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Actor (Guinness) and Best Director (David Lean). Because the bridge had to be destroyed for the film, a replica bridge was created for the movie in Sri Lanka.
This is not my photograph; it is reproduced here courtesy of wikimedia.
TFF
Paris is exotic; the Seine is romantic; and the bridges over the Seine are extremely evocative. This is recognised as being the most beautifully ornate of them all - the Pont Alexandre III which connects the Champs-Élysées quarter and the Invalides quarter. Visible in my photo is the sculpture from one side of the single arch (there is a slightly different one on the other side of the arch) and some of the unique art deco street lights on the bridge.
The bridge was built for the Exposition in 1900. The architects were under instruction not to obscure the views on each side of the river, and so the design features the single support arch under the bridge itself. There are statues on the four pillars at the bridge ends in addition to the sculptures on the arches.
And, I don't know what they do to the gilt statues in Paris, but they certainly stay bright and shiny.
EXIF: (both) Sony Cybershot; ISO 100; 1/500 sec; f8.
TFF
Not every bridge is as beautiful as the Golden Gate, or an engineering marvel like the Sydney Harbour Bridge. This is a very modest, but very practical, rail bridge in the Kruger National Park in southern Africa. I don't know when it was built, or by whom. I don't even know the name of the stream that it crosses in this photo.
Yet so attracted by bridges am I that when staying right near this bridge in Kruger just over a year ago, I went out specially to take this photo. I guess that it is a kind of memory cue for me, because it instantly recalls the Kruger visit during my first ever trip to Africa.
And memory is a peculiar thing, because the very next image that it brings to mind is this one:
A lurking menace, right by the bridge, and within a crocodile's crawl of where I was sleeping at night! Now I wonder how they constructed the bridge - were there camps of men in tents on the river bank while it was being built? Did the hustle and bustle of men and machines scare the crocodiles away during the building process? Or, were the crocs lying in wait for a careless, tasty bridge-worker as a dietary change from their normal fare?
I'll never know the answers to those questions, but boy, I enjoy thinking about them.
EXIF: - (bridge) Nikon D70; Nikkor 80-400mm VR; ISO 200; 1/320 sec; f5.6.
(croc) - ISO 800; 1/100 sec; f5.6.
TFF
Speaking of bridges, here's a beauty!
Yes, I know that probably every tourist to San Francisco has taken this exact shot, but I wanted my own. And not only that, but when you are standing looking at the thing, it's so darn spectacular that you have to photograph it.
Profoundly fortunate to find a day that was clear and bright (in other words, no fog) with a beautiful blue sky that dramatically contrasted the colour of the bridge, I couldn't resist taking this picture.
The Golden Gate Bridge had the longest span of any suspension bridge in the world when it was built across San Francisco Bay. Whenever I think of San Francisco, which is one of my favourite "big cities" in the world, it's just as impossible to avoid thinking of the bridge as it to avoid thinking about hills and trams. San Francisco's restaurants and its diverse neighbourhoods make it a wonderful spot for a visit.
TFF
This week we are going to be looking at some bridges. I've always enjoyed photographing bridges - it must be because I desperately wanted a Meccano set to be able to build them when I was young. Bridges and doorways are amongst my most photographed subjects, which would be pretty boring to many people, although I do know of one person who was contemplating a coffee table book of pictures of the bridges of Venice.
To start, I am providing two bridges for the price of one. Taken from a Brisbane CityCat, this picture shows a series of arches of the William Jolly Bridge (commonly called the Grey Street Bridge) in the background (bottom of image); and the single arch of the Merivale Rail Bridge that connects South Brisbane Station with Roma Street Station in the foreground (top). I like the repeating patterns of arches with the blue of the sky and water surrounding them.
One of my current gripes is the current ridiculous climate that surrounds the photography of infrastructure here in Australia. Apparently, terrorists would begin any campaign by taking photographs of power stations, railway stations and bridges. Go figure. It's not like Google Earth and the soon to be launched Google Street View wouldn't provide the info. But governments desperate to be seen to be doing something have provided public servants with ridiculous powers to prevent you and me from taking pictures around infrastructure. A person was forced to delete pictures taken at a suburban railway station recently, and threatened with an "anti-terrorism fine" if he didn't comply. I bet the thought of being fined by Queensland Rail would have any terrorist quaking in his boots!
Don't get me started!
EXIF: Nikon D70; Nikkor 70-200mm VR; ISO 200; 1/500 sec; f9.
TFF
Taken from the Eiffel Tower, whose shadow can be seen stretching across the Seine in the left of the image, this photo was taken during my first visit to Paris in 1986.tff
It is interesting to notice what the camera sees in comparison to what the eye and brain are seeing. Our brains make instant adjustments to whatever signals are sent there from the eye, so that, for example: white is white to our brain, regardless of the ambient light. However, photographers know that white also reflects any other hues present in the ambient light and can look pink, or blue, or grey. That's the reason that we have a white balance adjustment on our digital cameras - so that we can tell the camera's brain that the signal that the lens is showing as pink or blue or grey is actually white.
In this picture, taken early one morning, I saw a white light near a dark building, against a sky just lightening at dawn. My camera, with its fast lens, shows the yellow glow of the street light, the red colour of the bricks in the building and the blue sky with white fluffy clouds. Amazing!
EXIF: Sony Cybershot; auto.
TFF
Athens has the most frequent and spectacular sunsets I have ever seen. There is something about the air (probably pollution) that makes the setting sun a brilliant sight on most evenings in Athens. When I was last in Athens, I was staying in a hotel quite near the Acropolis, and there was a flat roof on the hotel that was a perfect viewing platform for sunsets. The presence of some friends and a bottle of wine was another reason to get up there on most afternoons.
Sunsets suffer from the same issues as sunrises. The photographer must get something of interest into the frame in addition to the sunset. In the image above, I have one of the wonders of the world silhouetted against the early sunset, so the photo works on a couple of levels. Compare that to the image below, taken a little later, where although the sky is more dramatic, the flat Athens cityscape in the foreground does little to enhance the picture.
EXIF: Canon A620; auto.
TFF
A sunrise can often be a difficult thing to photograph. Usually there is a marked difference between the brightest parts of the image and the darker parts, making metering problematic. You have to be able to avoid blown highlights and yet provide some detail in the darker areas. Of the two choices, I prefer to lean towards avoiding blown highlights because, in my view at least, nothing detracts from a picture so much as large areas that are overexposed.
For this reason, I usually bracket my exposures when I am taking photos at sunrise or sunset. This allows me to compare several images and select the best one.
Another issue about photographing sunrises is that sunrise pictures can become boring. It is important to have some other points of interest in the image besides the actual sunrise - clouds, boats or even buildings. Without reference points, the viewer can get lost in the sun and sky.Although the picture above has captured a dramatic sunrise over a darkened horizon, and there are some impressive cloud formations above that, I think that the image could have been improved if there had been a tree (or a balloon!) present.
EXIF: Nikon D70; Nikkor 18-70mm DX; ISO 200; 1/400 sec; f7.1.
TFF
