US-59 Bridges
Ask anyone in Houston, and they’ll know the bridges spanning over US-59 as the highway makes its way from I-610 West to downtown. The six bridges weave together the urban grid North and South of the highway. Their graceful arched trusses span over the buzz of the traffic below, and are ornamented with color changing lights that bring vibrancy to the city’s twilight.
Despite having lived in Houston for over a decade, I hadn’t ever devoted myself to photographing these bridges. Perhaps they were too obvious of a subject? One weekend, I decided it was time to see what the hype was about, so I gathered up my camera bag, tripod, and filters and headed out.
The bridges are located in a residential area, and I chose the Hazard Street bridge as my vantage point as it would afford a view East with the setting sun behind me. I set up the tripod at full height near the center of the bridge, and extended the center column enough to place my lens just above the chain link fencing. With the Fujifilm XF 16-55mm f2.8 lens attached, I explored the possible compositions, and I decided that around 42mm was the right focal length for the composition.
The few clouds in the sky and the setting sun offered a soft, diffused light for the scene. After taking a few test shots, I decided to use filters to soften the clouds and introduce blur into the moving vehicles on the roadway below.
After some experimentation, I chose a combination of the my Formatt Hitech Firecrest Ultra ND 1.2 (4 stop) and the Soft Edge Graduated ND 0.9 to achieve the exposure length I wanted and to balance the sky. With that decision behind me, I just waited for the right light.
I chose two images to keep, both with the settings of 42.7mm, f/5.6, 6.5 seconds, at ISO 160, but ten minutes apart. Amazing what ten minutes can do!
Fujifilm X-T3 with XF 16-55 f2.8 at 42.7mm, f/5.6, 6.5 seconds, at ISO 160. Taken at 8:28 p.m.
Fujifilm X-T3 with XF 16-55 f2.8 at 42.7mm, f/5.6, 6.5 seconds, at ISO 160. Taken at 8:38 p.m.
I enjoy how subtle the first image is. Light-trails from the cars are present, but don’t obscure the roadway below and the colors of the sky are balanced by the hue the light gives to the concrete below. That all being said, the punchy colors and saturation of the second photo bring a vibrancy that the first doesn’t have. The contrast between the bright headlights and the deep shadows of the unlit foliage are undeniably striking.
For any photographer capturing a scene above moving traffic, always remember that safety is first and foremost. Don’t have any equipment over the edge of the bridge that could accidentally fall into the traffic below. It’ll keep the drivers safe, and you won’t lose your gear.