Friday 26 March 2010

Friday Shoot Out - Bridges


I'm a big fan of Elaine at A Scattering.  Her photography is always superb and I can imagine that with her creativity she will have some wonderful bridges for you to see.  In black and white, too.

I admit the black and white bit scared me witless because I don't have the foggiest idea what makes a good black and white photo.  As luck would have it, I had one old black and white photo of the road (and bridge) leading up to our old farm, taken back when you had to put a black and white film in the camera. So this is the genuine article.


A wonderful memory of this bridge is that of a slight accident between myself and my neighbour.  One Tuesday afternoon I was taking my four kids to athletics and was coming down the hill off the bridge and my neighbour was returning with her four kids from swimming and our cars sort of bumped each other just as I came off that bridge.  Everyone jumped out of the two cars to inspect the damage and see if we were all OK and my older daughter commented, "Mrs Rickett, you've got new shoes!!"  Gotta love country kids, huh?

It didn't dawn on me to think of any sort of bridge other than the sort used to carry us over something.  Most of the bridges around here are humble affairs, built purely for practical purposes.  There are four one lane bridges between my house and the corner, 12 kms away.  I can't think of a single one within miles that has any aesthetic value.


 
The longest bridge down our road

This next little one is always a welcome sight, it takes me across the little creek that runs through the farm.

Thankfully this one on a neighbour's farm and doesn't see much traffic.
An old footbridge on another neighbour's farm

The bridges in town are a little grander than their country cousins- but not much!

Perhaps this is stretching it a bit and this is more of an elevated walkway.  But it is raised to carry foot traffic safely around a hill through the bush at Noosa, Queensland, Australia where I was recently holidaying.  It keeps our feet safe from snakes.

And then there are the bridges to fun:


To see lots of other black and white bridges, pop over to here.

18 comments:

  1. Pauline, what a humorous memory of the bridge incident. You may not think the bridges near you have any aesthetic appeal but I'm telling you my friend that your photos sure do. I love them all. They are all visually appealing to my eyes. Well done.

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  2. I love your collection of the bridges, especially one over the little creek, such a beautiful place to go for a walk.

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  3. Your black and whites were great. I loved the last one...a playground bridge for swinging.

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  4. what a great collection, Pauline.

    Good that it was just the two cars, and none of you were hurt.

    Re: The last photo of my post, you have to go through Onehunga way. I only went there because my husband wanted to see the construction of the big bridge. It looks similar to your Noosa bridge.

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  5. Very creative Pauline, I loved the variety and the story of the shoes. Your photography is excellent, as always.

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  6. Love the idea of 'bridges to fun.' That could be a theme in itself! But I love the shot of the bridge on your farm! It is so nicely framed out by the trees and lit by the sun. What a welcoming view.

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  7. Hi Pauline, great choices and the one of the brige across the little creek on the farm looks very welcoming. Thanks for the kind words about my photos! Have a great weekend, Elaine

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  8. That is exactly the avenue I took. Private bridges to home and from neighbor to neighbor.
    QMM

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  9. LOL ya gotta love kids..new shoes..giggle! I loved your black and whites..beautiful! I so enjoy seeing the area you live in you offer it up so beautifully hon!! Hugs, Sarah

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  10. It makes me smile about the "shoes", isn't it cute for kids to notice that. I like your photos specially it is in black and white. Happy weekend!

    Bridges

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  11. I'm smiling at your story about Mrs. Rickett's shoes! What a great story. And I do think your rural bridges have huge aesthetic appeal; the road leading down to the sun-splashed creek bridge is m favorite.

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  12. I really enjoyed these Pauline! Your surroundings look so restful to me!

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  13. You've done a nice job with your black and white's here, Pauline :) - I felt much like you when I took the first practice black and white the other day...I looked at my shot and thought "OH NO". But...today, the bridge shots actually came out nice. I think it was good for the theme chosen. You have some very nice shots here.

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  14. our verbage is almost exact.... well the theme anyway. got to love it.

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  15. I love your bridge shots! love the country and being in nature photos. fantastic!!

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  16. Nice shootout Pauline. It's interesting to see the variety of bridges all over, from planks over ravines to big city overpasses.

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  17. I've waited to see what comments were made. Well, actually, I was convinced I'd already commented but obviously hadn't. Oh dear. Another piece of evidence in The Losing It trial. It was good being able to recognise a number of the bridges. You often see more of the structure and composition in B & W and you've captured that well in my (humble!) opinion.

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  18. I love your theme, and how you wove it together!

    I crossed over a make ship tree bridge once, your first photo reminded me of that, a small gorge, back when I was brave, or crazy either one, lol!

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