Poinsett Bridge

[Kevin Childress]

This place has been on my photographic to-do list for about 5 years and I finally got it done over the weekend. I've got several more images to process of this place so I thought I'd get a little feedback before I get too deep into the other images. Open to all areas of critique.

Link to photo page/EXIF if needed. 

For the history buffs: Constructed in 1820, it is believed to be the oldest surviving bridge in South Carolina, and was part of the State Road that connected Charleston and Columbia with the North Carolina mountain communities. It is a 14-foot Gothic arch stone structure and stretches 130 feet over Little Gap Creek. Historians believe that is was designed by Robert Mills, architect of the Washington Monument. (text paraphrased from: http://greenvillerec.com/parks/poinsett-bridge)

[Lady GooGoo La La]

What can I say, another Kevin shot.

Beautiful image, the only minor criticism I have is maybe its not level. The lighting is perfect as is sharpness. Nice colours interesting subject. nice soft water blur.

5 stars.

Looking thru the hole in the bridge the lighting on the other side is perfect, did the camera handle that by itself?

Lady GooGoo LaLa

[Kevin Childress]

Lady GooGoo La La wrote:

... the only minor criticism I have is maybe its not level. The lighting is perfect ...

Looking thru the hole in the bridge the lighting on the other side is perfect, did the camera handle that by itself?

Thank you for the feedback, Lady. Its 196 years old, so it may not be perfectly level at this point.   :)  Actually, that old bridge is in wonderful shape and will probably stand forever.  I did have a hard time deciding what was level here. I'm on a bit of an angle to the bridge (runs away from the camera right-to-left) so I wasn't concerned about the horizontal lines. I used the vertical lines of the doorway to determine level and had to rotate the image 0.2-degrees left. I do struggle with degree of rotation at times with architectural elements so I'd like to hear what others feel about my choice for this one. I provided a screenshot of the door opening below for critical review.

And I was very fortunate with this light. This was taken less than 10-minutes after sunrise, and actually the sun was still well below the horizon of the hills off to the east. It was a bit overcast at the time so this is all scattered light. Given those conditions, I like to compare it to photographing inside of a HUGE softbox.  The lighting through the doorway is au naturel - no special treatment there.

[™Ken Kruse™]

It's hard to critique a photo that has nothing wrong with it.The only suggestions I could make would turn it into my picture not yours, I like yours!

[© Tom Cooper]

Don't say that.  I didn't want to let it go to his head, so I decided to say nothing.

[Lady GooGoo La La]

Yes you might think so, however Kevin's efforts to assist everyone is an admirable trait. He seems to be more dedicated to promoting photography, at the expense of his time, rather than his own ego.

Big head is not bad, if you focus your efforts away from yourself and towards helping others.

[™Ken Kruse™]

© Tom Cooper wrote:

Don't say that.  I didn't want to let it go to his head, so I decided to say nothing.

I considered that but knowing Kevin I think the only thing he lets get to his head is a cold IPA :) 

 

[Kevin Childress]

You are all correct, of course.  :)

[the unknown fisherman]

I am not a pro photographer, but I will comment. As I looked at the link of the photo, it looked crooked to me. When I opened it up it looked fine. I can see clearly through the arch at the tree on the other side. I would like to see the camera angle raised a little more so I can see the tree follow up over the bridge. This would have messed up the composition of the tree in the foreground.  Seems like the bridge is to high in the photo. Your about 6 feet to close to the subject. I also would like to see a little bit more of the bridge to the right of the photo. The photo itself is great. Lots of detail. Photos taken in the morning on overcast days are great. Good Job. 5 Stars.Waiting 5 years to take the shot, 10 Stars.

[Kevin Childress]

the unknown fisherman wrote:

I would like to see the camera angle raised a little more so I can see the tree follow up over the bridge. This would have messed up the composition of the tree in the foreground.  

Thank you for the feedback, fisherman. I hear what you're saying. This particular composition was as much about the tree in the foreground as it was about the bridge in the background.  I have a few other compositions that show an angle similar to what you're looking for. This isn't exactly it, but closer I think. I tried a couple angled upward much more that the one below but was getting too much open sky (too much light) at those sharp angles. 

 

[the unknown fisherman]

Wow! Yep. You nailed it. I can see everything now. Great photography!

On Tuesday, October 27, 2015 at 2:47:29 PM UTC-4, Kevin Childress wrote:

[Paarsh Saini]

That is an excellent shot. Great composition & smoothness to the whole subject. Liked!