Monthly Archives: July 2013

LOCATION :: Manhattan over Rocks

Image

Chip Bunnell Photography Palm Beach FloridaI have always enjoyed sites and perspectives that others see.  An even greater thrill for me is to find an object or view that others do not often find.  A recent trip to the DUMBO area of Brooklyn gave me that very opportunity.  As an admirer of the architecture of interesting bridges, I find that New York has some of the best over the East River.  While the Brooklyn Bridge may perhaps be the most famous here, there are others that are critical in the daily lives of locals and the all-important tourists.  Each has their own story and each has their own equally unique features.  Following my constant quest to find something new, I fixated on the youngest of the bridges – the Manhattan Bridge.

The Manhattan Bridge is a graceful suspension bridge that spans the East River, connecting lower Manhattan to Brooklyn.  Despite her middle position visually, she is the last one to have been built.  Started in 1901, she spans 6,855’ from end to end and rises 336’ above the waters below. She was opened on December 31, 1909, but was not actually completed until 1912. During those years, 7 lanes of roadway, 4 railroad tracks as well as lanes for pedestrians and bicycles were built.  Something that was very interesting to me is that when she was built, all the rail lines were not attached to steel on the land. The connections did not come until years later. I was impressed at the forward thinking in this initial design.  At the same time, however, there has been a number of high dollar renovations to compensate for the substantially larger and heavier trains that now use her rails. At one point, the weight of a passing train would literally dip the bridge deck 3’ lower than the opposite side.  “A” for initial design effort as well as finding solutions to help her adapt to our current demands.

I made this image to include my love of water as well as the interest and size of the bridge herself.  The trees on the left, coupled with the boulders below gave a nice framing effect. The setting sun on camera right added interest to the sky as well as helped define the layers in the clouds above.  Details in the bridge frame work and color make it the most interesting of the 3 bridges to me.  I processed this image with a painterly approach to give a more surreal feel.

All in all, she not a bad looking lady, especially at her young age of 112!

3 Frame HDR, Processed in Photomatix Pro, LR and Topaz Clarity

www.ChipBunnell.com

LOCATION :: Mystic Sunrise

Image

Chip Bunnell Photography Boca Raton FloridaOn a recent photo-trek with friends Claudia Cohen and Glenn Taylor, I had a chance to visit the mystical place of Mystic, CT.  Okay, while it was not really “mystical”, it was definitely quite impressive in many ways.  The greatest claims to fame are the very unique bridge that allows ships passage to the seaport, the historic town still with many of the original facades and the living museum of the Mystic Seaport itself.  Oh yes, and there was some pizza Julia Roberts once ate in 1988…although the movie was not made in the current restaurant that bears the name.

Originally settled in 1654, the small village of Mystic is steeped in maritime history.  Primarily due to its location on the Mystic River, the village was an active hub for the movement of goods as well as part of the whaling industry.  Flowing downstream, ships would follow the river to the Long Island Sound and ultimately gain access to the ocean.  Ironically, even though a little over 4,000 people live in Mystic, this important village is not recognized as a municipality in the state of Connecticut. Instead, parts west of the river are located in the town of Groton and the eastern parts reside in Stonington.

On this particular morning, our brave band of intrepid photographers ventured into the pre-dawn morning (…430AM), armed with only cameras, tripods and the goal of capturing the Mystic sunrise. We found a wonderful location on the Mystic River Bascule Bridge which provided an excellent view of the bay and dock areas.  The glow from the street lights on the surrounding buildings revealed just a hint of the town features as we waited patiently for the morning sun.  Slowly, several clouds began to take shape overhead. Little by little colors radiated from their edges and ultimately reflected gently on the calm waters below.  From our vantage point we could see two tall-ships surrounded by many other vessels secured to their docks.  The calm of the morning and vivid colors quickly made me forget of the sleep others were still enjoying.

While this area is relatively small, it is filled with treasures of nautical history. I look forward to again returning to explore even more of this charming area.

Single Frame, Processed in LR and Topaz Clarity

www.ChipBunnell.com