43. Bridge - April 6-12, 2014
Paul-
There’s a music store not far from my house were the staff all bear tattoos, earrings, unconventional hair color, and an air of laid back hipness that makes me feel like an accountant among beat poets. I went into the store anyway—though I did throw on some ratty clothes and slouched a little to try and blend in. I asked if I could shoot some guitar bridges for our WPOTM. A very hirsute guy named Jamie (a bass player who, like me, is in awe of guitarist Alan Holdsworth) liked the idea and asked me which guitar I wanted him to take down off a wall decked out with dozens of them. I told him to grab something that he liked a lot and he came back with two instruments: a Fender electric with a beautiful sunburst pattern and a handsome Gibson acoustic. (About $2,700 and $3,800, respectively.) I selected an image of the former. The store was lousy with florescent lights and crowded with stacked gear so it was hard getting a good image without distracting backdrops and a lot of specular light off the metal and polished wood. I also wanted a short depth-of-field so the guitar neck would go out of focus in the distance. It worked with the Gibson fairly well; not quite as nicely with the Fender. I went with the electric guitar anyway since I think it shows of its “bridge” more prominently.
One of the other employees—not the very attractive young woman with the tattoos of Celtic symbols up and down her arms—mentioned that the staff like to put up pictures in the shop of some of the instruments…so I plan on going back to see if they would consider printing of any of my stuff (from this shoot and ones I hope to subsequently make).
I bought a Zildjian t-shirt as a way of thanking them for their time. I used to be a drummer—do you ever stop?—and had Zildjian cymbals. (Just so you know, this family-owned company is one of the oldest in the world…they’ve been in continuous business for almost 400 years.)
Back from commercial break and staring at the studio’s green screen—and all the while realizing that if she had to dredge up a forced smile one more time for a brain-dead broadcast audience and mention that “Gosh, this weekend will see a highs in the upper seventies, so get out there and have fun folks!”—WKWZ meteorologist Christine “Chrissy” Harper slowly removed her network blazer in a manner that could be called anything but tasteful, pulled out barrettes allowing long auburn hair to cascade down, and gave camera two (which seemed to zoom in of its own accord) her best sultry, come-hither look as she purred in a sensual voice: “Olympus E500; 35mm telephoto lens at 35mm focal length; 1/80 sec. at f3.5; ISO 400; the camera is hand-held.”
There’s a music store not far from my house were the staff all bear tattoos, earrings, unconventional hair color, and an air of laid back hipness that makes me feel like an accountant among beat poets. I went into the store anyway—though I did throw on some ratty clothes and slouched a little to try and blend in. I asked if I could shoot some guitar bridges for our WPOTM. A very hirsute guy named Jamie (a bass player who, like me, is in awe of guitarist Alan Holdsworth) liked the idea and asked me which guitar I wanted him to take down off a wall decked out with dozens of them. I told him to grab something that he liked a lot and he came back with two instruments: a Fender electric with a beautiful sunburst pattern and a handsome Gibson acoustic. (About $2,700 and $3,800, respectively.) I selected an image of the former. The store was lousy with florescent lights and crowded with stacked gear so it was hard getting a good image without distracting backdrops and a lot of specular light off the metal and polished wood. I also wanted a short depth-of-field so the guitar neck would go out of focus in the distance. It worked with the Gibson fairly well; not quite as nicely with the Fender. I went with the electric guitar anyway since I think it shows of its “bridge” more prominently.
One of the other employees—not the very attractive young woman with the tattoos of Celtic symbols up and down her arms—mentioned that the staff like to put up pictures in the shop of some of the instruments…so I plan on going back to see if they would consider printing of any of my stuff (from this shoot and ones I hope to subsequently make).
I bought a Zildjian t-shirt as a way of thanking them for their time. I used to be a drummer—do you ever stop?—and had Zildjian cymbals. (Just so you know, this family-owned company is one of the oldest in the world…they’ve been in continuous business for almost 400 years.)
Back from commercial break and staring at the studio’s green screen—and all the while realizing that if she had to dredge up a forced smile one more time for a brain-dead broadcast audience and mention that “Gosh, this weekend will see a highs in the upper seventies, so get out there and have fun folks!”—WKWZ meteorologist Christine “Chrissy” Harper slowly removed her network blazer in a manner that could be called anything but tasteful, pulled out barrettes allowing long auburn hair to cascade down, and gave camera two (which seemed to zoom in of its own accord) her best sultry, come-hither look as she purred in a sensual voice: “Olympus E500; 35mm telephoto lens at 35mm focal length; 1/80 sec. at f3.5; ISO 400; the camera is hand-held.”
Kevin-
Of course I considered all sorts of images for BRIDGE, from shooting a war related image (Bridge over the River Kwai) to something music related (Bridge Over Troubled Waters) to the card game Bridge, plus all sorts of other variations. But I decided (surprise) to explore an actual bridge. Specifically the Stone Arch Bridge, which crosses the Mississippi River in Minneapolis. The Stone Arch Bridge was created of granite and limestone in 1882-83, and is 2100 feet long. It provides terrific views of Saint Anthony Falls. One of the big decisions was whether to photograph the underside of the bridge (a perspective frequently used by wedding photographers) or the top side of the bridge, which would provide a better view of the city. About seven different bridges cross the Mississippi River in less than 1.4 miles, and the Stone Arch Bridge is one of them. It has been a pedestrian/bicycle only bridge since 1994, but until now I had never explored or crossed it.
I cropped it to a panoramic perspective. I find the ages and styles of the buildings in the scene, plus Saint Anthony Falls, to be fascinating. Nikon D3s, 24-70mm f2.8 Nikkor lens set to 24mm. ISO 200, f/11, 1/50th of a second.
Of course I considered all sorts of images for BRIDGE, from shooting a war related image (Bridge over the River Kwai) to something music related (Bridge Over Troubled Waters) to the card game Bridge, plus all sorts of other variations. But I decided (surprise) to explore an actual bridge. Specifically the Stone Arch Bridge, which crosses the Mississippi River in Minneapolis. The Stone Arch Bridge was created of granite and limestone in 1882-83, and is 2100 feet long. It provides terrific views of Saint Anthony Falls. One of the big decisions was whether to photograph the underside of the bridge (a perspective frequently used by wedding photographers) or the top side of the bridge, which would provide a better view of the city. About seven different bridges cross the Mississippi River in less than 1.4 miles, and the Stone Arch Bridge is one of them. It has been a pedestrian/bicycle only bridge since 1994, but until now I had never explored or crossed it.
I cropped it to a panoramic perspective. I find the ages and styles of the buildings in the scene, plus Saint Anthony Falls, to be fascinating. Nikon D3s, 24-70mm f2.8 Nikkor lens set to 24mm. ISO 200, f/11, 1/50th of a second.
Byron-
Deron-
This is one of four train bridges (truss) that are being installed over the 215 fwy in Colton, CA. Each one weighs 1.1 million pounds and was hand built, right before our eyes, in a vacant field next to the freeway. I think they are beautiful works of art, handcrafted by very talented people. I love the rust, the rivets and the massiveness of each truss/bridge. They are driven over to the site by a heavy machinery transport... it has something like 36 wheels and is amazing!
This is one of four train bridges (truss) that are being installed over the 215 fwy in Colton, CA. Each one weighs 1.1 million pounds and was hand built, right before our eyes, in a vacant field next to the freeway. I think they are beautiful works of art, handcrafted by very talented people. I love the rust, the rivets and the massiveness of each truss/bridge. They are driven over to the site by a heavy machinery transport... it has something like 36 wheels and is amazing!