Saturday, July 23, 2011

Bridges, Industry, and a Cemetery View

It's been one of the hottest weeks on record here in Hamilton, but despite the heat, I managed to get out for some photos the other evening.  I ended up on a pier under the Skyway Bridge (that's the one you Toronto people go over on your way to and from Niagara Falls / the U.S.) and was able to get some pretty great shots.  Here are a few of my favourites:
It was actually really windy at the end of the pier.  It made it a bit tricky to keep the tripod steady, but made the water look all smooth and silky from the extended exposure.
There it is, that iconic view of the steel industry that so many people associate with Hamilton.  Hopefully if you're a regular reader, you know that Hamilton is so much more than these steel mills.  Still...it makes for a pretty cool shot.  The wind made getting this shot particularly difficult, so I hope to go back on a calmer evening.

These next three shots are of the Skyway Bridge itself.  The original steel structure bridge was built in 1958.  In 1985 the bridge was twinned, though with a much simpler concrete structure.
The Burlington Canal Lift Bridge is also visible in the above image - it's the low one in the distance with the dramatic lighting.
I've gotta give my friend Ray credit for the last one, he captured the composition first...then I copied.  I love the juxtaposition in both of the above two shots between the complicated steel girders and trusses of the 1958 bridge compared to the minimalist concrete of the 1985 bridge.

The next two shots were actually taken from Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Burlington (across the bay from Hamilton).  As creepy as it was to be in a cemetery late at night, the view of Hamilton's skyline was spectacular and it's not one often seen (at least not by the living...)
As you've probably guessed, I've been really into night photography lately.  I love the way the camera can capture things at night that the eye can't discern - like a glow on the horizon long after the sun has set, or the twinkling lights of a distant city. 

I also love that I'm discovering new places in the city I love that, despite having lived in the area my entire life, I've never been to before!

1 comment:

bs said...

uhm, isn't it illegal to be in a cemetery at night?