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Pacific Northwest – St. Johns Bridge and Tilikum Crossing

Breaking the Creative Slump

Over the past month or so, I’ve been in a creative slump with my photography. Maybe it’s because I wasn’t going to new places, but I felt like, creatively speaking, I was at a standstill. Before I flew to Portland, Oregon, I began researching some areas to visit, but still wasn’t feeling inspired. However, once I actually arrived and saw some of these places, all of that changed. I felt energized! Seeing the fall colors was definitely a great change of pace, and I seized the opportunity to dive right back into photography by visiting two bridges: St. Johns Bridge and Tilikum Crossing, Bridge of the People. Maybe I just needed to #justgoshoot. Most of my photography is of landscapes, but these bridges were too beautiful not to shoot.

St. Johns Bridge

Cathedral Park overlooks the Willamette River and provides some unique composition opportunities, especially of the St. Johns Bridge (also called the Grand Lady of Portland). Walking along the path leads to a boat dock, which is where I took the first image. The fall colors captivated me and I wanted to include the different orange and yellow hues in the shot. In addition, the water was surprisingly calm for a few minutes, and I wanted to take advantage of that window to get some of the bridge reflected in the water.

St. Johns Bridge reflection
Shot at f/11, 12mm, ISO 200, 1/160sec

As I walked back to the car, I turned around and saw the bridge from a different angle. When framing up the following shot, I wanted to exaggerate the length of the bridge, so I lined up my camera more parallel to the bridge. In addition, I made sure that the ground was level, which I think makes us perceive the bridge as being longer.

St. Johns Bridge in fall
Shot at f/11, 12mm, ISO 200, 1/200sec

St. Johns Bridge lights up a bit at night, and I wanted to capture the contrast between the lights and the cloudy night sky. I changed my white balance to 4000K, which is pretty close to how the scene looked. Shooting with longer shutter speeds allowed me to get the star-like effect from the lights on the bridge. In addition, I took the shot from a little further away to get more of the park in the frame. Lastly, I was hoping to get some light trails from the cars in the distance, but the traffic made the red lights look a little punctate. This is one of my favorite shots from my entire trip!

St. Johns Bridge at night
Shot at f/11, 12mm, ISO 200, 20sec, 4000K

Tilikum Crossing, Bridge of the People

Tilikum Crossing, Bridge of the People is another beautiful bridge in Portland that lights up at night, depending on a lot of factors. To get the following two images, we drove to the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI). There’s a pretty sturdy walkway there leading to the USS Blueback where I set up my tripod. As I looked through the viewfinder, I wanted to include the moon in my composition and had to take this shot pretty quick, as the moon was rising rapidly. Because of the 60sec exposure, the clouds are blurred, and the water is smoother. In addition, I spot-metered for the highlights to ensure that the lighter areas of the scene were properly exposed. I didn’t really like the way the clouds looked, so I reduced the exposure a bit in post. This is another of my favorite shots from the trip.

Tilikum Crossing, Bridge of the People lighting up green at night in fall
Shot at f/11, 12mm, ISO 200, 60sec, spot metering (highlights)

And here’s another shot of Tilikum Crossing. This time without the moon, and with the bridge and its reflection occupying more of the frame.

Tilikum Crossing, Bridge of the People lighting up green at night in fall
Shot at f/11, 12mm, ISO 200, 60sec, spot metering (highlights)

Which one do you like better: with the moon, or without? I’ve been going back and forth since I took these and still can’t decide!

A Bit of History of St. Johns Bridge and Tilikum Crossing

I had such a great time researching the history of these two bridges. Particularly Tilikum Crossing, Bridge of the People, which has a lot of very unique properties. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it!

St. Johns Bridge

James John settled in the area in 1847. In 1852, he began operating a ferry that crossed the Willamette River. In 1931, the St. Johns Bridge was constructed by Robinson and Steinman and is still the only steel suspension bridge in Portland. During the ribbon-cutting event, there was a parade that included an elephant! What makes this bridge so beautiful is that the architectural aspects of the bridge, such as the gothic arches and suspension towers, also serve some function. Nothing is superfluous. The original color of the bridge was supposed to be black and yellow stripes to warn airplanes of the tall suspension towers. However, the lights on top of the towers serve this purpose, and Steinman did not like those color choices. Instead, he suggested green to blend in with the trees around the area. Thank goodness! Can you imagine this bridge in yellow and black stripes?

A major renovation project finished in 2005 which included removing and replacing lead-based paint. In addition, engineers rebuilt some of the concrete decks and metal rails, installed a new drainage system, replaced the light fixtures, and waterproofed the cables.

Tilikum Crossing, Bridge of the People

The name “Tilikum” refers to an international language that the first Oregonians used. When the Bridge Naming Committee reviewed proposals for the name of the bridge, they chose Tilikum because it holds the “most promise to connect the people of our region today with the long past of people who have been here for thousands of years, and to connect with future generations.”

Tilikum Crossing opened in 2015 and is the first span across the Willamette River since the Fremont Bridge was constructed in 1973. There are two towers on the bridge, and 3.5mi worth of cables. It is the first bridge of its kind and only allows traffic for cyclists, pedestrians, and public transportation. There are 178 LED lights across the bridge, and the colors change depending on the weather and temperature. A program written by digital artist Morgan Barnard translates weather data into the colorful light display on the bridge. Warmer colors reflect warmer weather, and cooler colors reflect cooler weather. Needless to say, it was pretty chilly when we visited!

The temperature isn’t the only thing that controls the light across the bridge. The tide also plays a huge role. As the tide comes in, the light moves closer to the center of the bridge. In contrast, as the tide goes back out, the light moves towards the ends of the bridge. The speed of the water in the river dictates how fast the colors on the bridge change. The higher the water level in the river, the more contrasted the colors appear. Interestingly, the lights on the bridge aren’t meant to serve as a weather tool. The artists, Anna Valentina Murch and Douglas Hollis, wanted the lights to represent a dialogue between Tilikum Crossing and the Willamette River. How cool is that?

As usual, comments, conversations, feedback, and messages are always welcome!

References

“Cathedral Park”. City of Portland. Retrieved November 21st, 2018.
“St. Johns Bridge”. HistoricBridges.org. Retrieved November 21st, 2018.
“St. Johns: Gateway to the Portland Harbor”. PdxHistory.com. Retrieved November 21st, 2018.
“Tilikum Crossing Bridge of the People”. TriMet. Retrieved November 21st, 2018.
“Tilikum Crossing, Bridge of the People”. Society for Experiential Graphic Design. Retrieved November 21st, 2018.
“How It Works: Tilikum Crossing Art Lights”. Jessica Ridgeway: TriMet. Retrieved November 23rd, 2018.

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