BEST TIPS TO IMPROVE YOUR BRIDGE PHOTOGRAPHY

I’m right when I say we have so many bridges in this part of the world. Bridges come in various shapes and sizes. Majority of us use it almost every day and not all of them are worth photographing be it old, new, long even short. As a bridge or street photographer, you’re up for something catchy and photogenic. Bridges stand out and are impressive structures that dominate most of their sited areas, like the 3rd mainland bridge, Niger bridge, etc.

Here Are Few Tips To Guide You As You Photograph Bridges

• Prioritize Safety: No matter how eager you are, put your safety first before you head off to the nearest bridge with your camera bag. Follow caution signs displayed on the bridge, stick to recognized pedestrian areas also avoid endangering yourself or anyone else.
• Your Choice of Lens: I will suggest that you pick a wide-angle lens because they give dramatic lines and obviously work best if you can take a walk onto the bridge itself so as to get bold foreground details. Use a small aperture to get an extensive depth of field to make most of the scenes. Shooting bridges can be tasking when trying to get details from the bridge. If you use a wide-angle lens and gives you a shot with too much sky and land in, try shooting in a panoramic format.
• At What Period Should You Go?: Lighting is very crucial so is the time of the day. I would say that all-weather work for bridges except when the sky is dull, blank, and flat. So the golden hour is usually the best time i.e when the low sun gives oblique lightning to bring out the textures in the scene while the warm lighting gives mood to the scene. Also, you can watch out for when the twilight sticks it’s head out. To achieve this, you need to have your tripod and remote around you.
• Choose Your Angle Wisely: Angles make your image more powerful. When you see a bridge in a distance, think of where you could get nearer to the bridge or from another angel to get better or different viewpoints.
• Contrast Can Be A Problem: It can be very different when the contrast between the sunlit bridges walls and the shadows. If you expose the darker shadow areas, the bricks will be light but they won’t have any detail. This can be corrected by either exposing the highlights (blocks) and using your flash to fill in the shadow area or bracket the shot.