I said I had a thing about.....

[ST1]

In one of Donald's Long Exposure threads LINK I said I had a thing about bridges, actually it's my dear Bride who has a thing about bridges, Ann bless her suffers from "Gephyrophobia"
On one occasion she had to change cars on the bridge shown in the first image, as our car was first on to the bridge gondola. When the gondola started to travel, Ann jumped out of our car and got in to the car behind ours!. Luckily that car contained some friends of ours from Australia.

Back on subject I said I had a thing about bridges, for me its actually more about the material that they are built with in my case steel. Image one is the Transporter Bridge in my home town of Middlesbrough, a town which exists mainly because of the iron and steel industry which started in the early 1800, sadly like most of the UK, Iron and Steel making is a thing of the past in my home town.

#1 A ninety two second exposure of The Transported Bridge, illuminated to celebrate her centenary year in 2011.




#2 Another piece of steel most of which originated from my home town




#3 Another reminder of my roots, this picture is from Bayswater Rail/Tube Station in London. Cargo Fleet was part of the Dorman Long Company Iron and Steel empire. Dorman Long on WIKI



#4

[Rebel]

Love the first 2 images peter, especially POV... adds a lot of depth to the images.

[Shadowman]

Nice series.

[Donald]

I have only ever once been in the company of a person suffering from Gephyrophobia. And it is only today, looking at this thread, that I have learned the name of the condition. In my case it was, in my professional capacity, taking a mother to a meeting to discuss the circumstances of her child who was in public care. We had to cross the Forth Bridge and she mentioned, as we approached the bridge, that she didn't like crossing bridges. Well, I didn't think I was going to make it. And then we had to come back later in the day!

However, that story shouldn't detract from our commenting on the pictures. The third one is, of course, an important part of social/industrial history. The other two are very fine pictures in their own right. Add in the connection between them and the photographer and they take on a significance that would not otherwise exist.

[IzzieK]

I am not familiar with this kind of fear and haven't encountered anyone with such a condition. Anyway if I am to choose any image in this series, I'd prefer #1. Just being there and taking the shots would have been satisfying enough for me, not to mention, exciting and the rest of the series is very informative. Thank you. I can feel your sentiment way to here.

[Shadowman]

I must suffer a form of it as I get light headed when crossing bridges or standing near elevated bannisters. For the most part I can will myself to get past it, but it has caused me to miss out on a few adventures. Once at the Grand Canyon I started down a trail and there was a blinding curve, as I got near it I was very close to fainting and had to turn back. Ironically, I can do certain things without fear, I rode on the rides on top of the Stratosphere hotel in Vegas, did the walk across the Makinac bridge, I've been to the top of many of skyscrapers, but ride up the hills on the island of Capri and I have to close my eyes; granted I'm a passenger so I can indulge.

[chauncey]

We are having a failure to communicate...on this side of the pond, we consider a bridge
to be connection between two land masses...not a structure suspended 100 feet in the air
attached to nothing on either end.

Regardless, your PP is great...can we assume it's HDR?

[DanK]

I think the first is a superb night photo. I like it all--the composition, the exposure, the contrasts, the colors. The second one, I'm afraid, doesn't do it for me. The bridge itself has relatively little contrast and seems drab, in part because of the harsh midday light and the haze. If you crop out everything but a rectangle with the bridge, you'll see that the bottom of the histogram for that section is far from the black end. The fact that parts of the foreground have more contrast makes this more apparent. I fiddled a bit, moving the black point up in a global adjustment and then selecting the area around the bridge and moving it up further, and also adding a bit of contrast to that area with a curve, and it helped a little, but my PP skills aren't a match for the lighting. I think you could get a nice shot of this if you chose early morning or late in the day.

I'd never heard of Gephyrophobia, but I experience the more generic acrophobia, and bridges are one place it can be a problem.

[Mike Buckley]

The first photo is just spectacular -- color, composition, exposure, etc., etc.

My mother-in-law had the fear of bridges. When traveling without an adult, she would turn her car over to an attendant on the near side of the bridge. She would be the passenger while the attendant drove her car across the bridge. She was barely able to make it work as a passenger but never as the driver.

When the gondola started to travel, Ann jumped out of our car and got in to the car behind ours!. Luckily that car contained some friends of ours from Australia.

But it would have been so much more interesting if everyone in the second car had been total strangers.

[ST1]

We are having a failure to communicate...on this side of the pond, we consider a bridge
to be connection between two land masses...not a structure suspended 100 feet in the air
attached to nothing on either end.

Regardless, your PP is great...can we assume it's HDR?

Hi Chancey, image one is a bridge, it had two methods of crossing the divide, historically you could climb up the stairs on the leg and walk across the top and then down the stairs/steps on the other side of the river. That was the cheap option though you had to expend more energy .
What you cannot see in the image is its gondola which is suspended on cables and transports both foot passengers and vehicles. Whilst you can still climb to the top and along the walkway across to top, it isn't possible to return to Earth at the north (LHS in this image) side of the bridge. However brave souls can on occasions Bungy jump and zip wire from the structure, usually these events are associated with some charity appeal. Recently a lift has been installed to enable people with mobility problems to get to the top and enjoy the views. I should really take myself and a camera up to the top though I shall pass on the Bungy jump experience
Sorry to disappoint you ( if you were ) but it isn't HDR. This is just one exposure which I reprocessed just prior to posting this thread, using Lightroom (to lift the shadows under the jetty) and NIK Define. But to be honest if I compare the same image which was printed and framed at the time the image was made there isn't a great deal of difference. The main difference being the removal of the planet under the bridge structure.

[ST1]

I think the first is a superb night photo. I like it all--the composition, the exposure, the contrasts, the colors. The second one, I'm afraid, doesn't do it for me. The bridge itself has relatively little contrast and seems drab, in part because of the harsh midday light and the haze. If you crop out everything but a rectangle with the bridge, you'll see that the bottom of the histogram for that section is far from the black end. The fact that parts of the foreground have more contrast makes this more apparent. I fiddled a bit, moving the black point up in a global adjustment and then selecting the area around the bridge and moving it up further, and also adding a bit of contrast to that area with a curve, and it helped a little, but my PP skills aren't a match for the lighting. I think you could get a nice shot of this if you chose early morning or late in the day.

I'd never heard of Gephyrophobia, but I experience the more generic acrophobia, and bridges are one place it can be a problem.

Hi Dan, thanks for taking time to look and comment, wrt the second image it is a camera generated jpg which I haven't processed, lazy of me, but I really only included it because of the origin of most of the steel used in the structure.
Whilst on the subject of steel, I only yesterday found out that the steel used in the construction of the bridge in the first image didn't originate from the local producers. Its steel was made in Scotland, luckily not the sort of steel that allegedly is used to produce "Iron Bru" I leave the explanation of Iron Bru to Donald and others who are somewhat North of me.
Thanks again for your comments

[ST1]

The first photo is just spectacular -- color, composition, exposure, etc., etc.

My mother-in-law had the fear of bridges. When traveling without an adult, she would turn her car over to an attendant on the near side of the bridge. She would be the passenger while the attendant drove her car across the bridge. She was barely able to make it work as a passenger but never as the driver.



But it would have been so much more interesting if everyone in the second car had been total strangers.

Thanks for looking and commenting Mike, much appreciated. My wife's problem is something she can't explain, sometimes it isn't a bridge it could just be an open structure underfoot, a wooden slatted pier or the like. I've always wanted to do the Sydney Harbour Bridge climb, one day maybe but... you can't take a camera with you!

[John 2]

Interesting series Peter with the stand out image definitely being the first. It's nice to think that some one had the imagination to choose coloured floodlights. It makes for a spectacular image. Interesting dialogue as well and so far as the Steel Industry is concerned, particularly poignant at he moment. It's history seems to be mirroring the ship building industry in the UK. British Steel = British Ship Builders = echoes of a death knell. Your wife's phobia is one I had never heard of. It must be difficult because something like that which will be ever in the back of your mind, must restrict your freedom to just enjoy yourself when out and about.