Photography, in all its forms, is about capturing light. The quality and effect of the light depends on many factors. Indoor light differs from outdoor light. Light produced by a flash differs from natural light. The same subject photographed at noon on a sunny day will have a different – potentially a dramatically different – feel than the same subject taken at noon on a cloudy day.
This is an image of the Astoria–Megler Bridge, which crosses the Columbia River between the states of Oregon and Washington. It was taken during the golden hour, the period of time an hour after sunrise or an hour before sunset, when natural light is at its softest.
The soft light combined with the beautiful pink sky was, for a short period, enhanced by the golden light from the sun reflecting off of the green steel bridge, turning it a beautiful golden hue. It was a breath-taking addition to what was already a spectacular view from Coxcomb Hill near the Astoria Column in Astoria, Oregon.
In the next set of posts, I’ll share photographs of bridges – a favorite subject of mine – taken at different times to show the effect that light has on the mood of an image. One will be during the blue hour and the other in the dead of night. I’ll follow that with an image taken standing on a bridge at high noon.
As an aside, Astoria is a beautiful little town with a fascinating history going back to Lewis and Clark, who spent a winter in Fort Clatsop near what was to become Astoria and where they finished their westward trek looking for the hoped-for northwest passage. It’s a great place to kick off an exploration of your own down the scenic Pacific Coast Highway.