[LargeFormat] Clifton Suspension Bridge

[Clive Warren]

At 7:10 am -0500 7/12/01, Guy Glorieux wrote:
>Clive Warren wrote:
>>  The camera is close to the Clifton suspension bridge - the bridge was
>>  designed by the enigmatic Victorian engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel.
>>
>  > There is an infrared shot of the bridge here:
>  > http://www.cocam.co.uk/CoCamWS/Gallery/PEOPLE/warren/warren5.htm
>>
>Very dramatic picture, Clive. I love it.
>
>I find it very difficult to shoot bridges, because there is almost always one
>end of the bridge that extends into the frame of the image, looking as if it
>is not supported by anything.  You've done a great job here at getting it
>well anchored in your frame. Perhaps this is because the suspension cables
>are held up just in the right corner of the image, while the left tower is
>positionned just on the 1/3rd line.  The infrared sure adds a strong feeling
>of drama to the scene.
>
>Do you happen to know when the brige was completed?  The suspension tower has
>a very ancient look to it while the suspension system seems fairly modern.

Thanks for the kind words.

There was a 28 year gap between the completion of the towers and the 
cables/roadway being built!

Did a quick search on the web to get the real lowdown and found this 
taken from http://www.bris.ac.uk/Depts/Churchill/Tour/bristol1.htm

'Brunel submitted four different designs, of which the chosen 
Egyptian-inspired one was not actually his favourite. Many trials and 
tribulations followed for the builders. Work did not start until 1836 
and more financial  problems caused it to cease in 1853.  The piers 
stood in splendid isolation for several years, threatened with 
demolition. Eventually the 702 foot bridge was completed in 1864, 
five years after Brunel's death. The bridge is three foot lower on 
the Somerset side to counteract an optical illusion that would 
otherwise make it appear out of true.'

Ironically there is a photo on the page that is taken using a similar 
composition to my own. The rest of the tour on this site is a nice 
introduction to the more interesting parts of Bristol.

Cheers,
        Clive