Brooklyn Bridge

From DUMBO, we rushed over to the Brooklyn Bridge to walk along the pedestrian path. The scene here was similar to our experience at DUMBO. It was the golden hour, and people were everywhere, walking and using the magic of the light to take selfies and group photos on the bridge. It was too crowded for the tripod. I was worried that someone would trip over the legs. I switched to shooting handheld. I focused on capturing the vibe on the bridge with families and friends enjoying the view.

Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964, the Brooklyn Bridge is a hybrid cable-stayed/suspension bridge that spans the East River and connects the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn. With a length of 1,825.4 m, the bridge is one of the oldest roadway bridges in the United States and was the world's first steel-wire suspension bridge and the first fixed crossing across the East River. Designed by German immigrant John Augustus Roebling, the bridge opened on May 24, 1883, over 135 years ago! The bridge has six lanes of roadway with pedestrians and bicycle pathways.

Brooklyn Bridge · FujiFilm X-T2 · Fujifilm XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR
Brooklyn Bridge · FujiFilm X-T2 · Fujifilm XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR
Brooklyn Bridge · FujiFilm X-T2 · Fujifilm XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR
Brooklyn Bridge · FujiFilm X-T2 · Fujifilm XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR
Brooklyn Bridge · FujiFilm X-T2 · Fujifilm XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR
Brooklyn Bridge — FujiFilm X-T2 + Fujifilm XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ (34.2 mm, f/8.0, ISO250), Copyright 2019-01-12 Khürt L. Williams
Brooklyn Bridge — FujiFilm X-T2 + Fujifilm XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ (25.7 mm, f/8.0, ISO250), Copyright 2019-01-12 Khürt L. Williams
Brooklyn Bridge — FujiFilm X-T2 + Fujifilm XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ (55 mm, f/8.0, ISO200), Copyright 2019-01-12 Khürt L. Williams

As the sun waned, we returned to Brooklyn Bridge Park for photos of the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges. I scrambled down the ice rocks to the beach. I slipped a few times. I struggled a bit to find focus in low light near the beach. I was tired, and so were my eyes. I did my best with the focus-peaking feature of the Fuji X-T2.

I have photographed these two bridges before, so I captured a few long-exposure images and called it a night. I made my way, slowly and carefully, back to the park and ventured indoors for a cup of camomile tea. It was a great day. We piled into Loren's white van, and Loren drove back through Manhattan to Penn Station and Grand Central Station to drop off the Connecticut members of our group. Then, it was time for the drive back to Bridgewater.

The Brooklyn Bridge and Jane's Carousel — FujiFilm X-T2 + Fujifilm XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ (16 mm, f/22, ISO200), Copyright 2019-01-12 Khürt L. Williams
Manhattan Bridge — FujiFilm X-T2 + Fujifilm XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ (16 mm, f/2.8, ISO200), Copyright 2019-01-12 Khürt L. Williams

Williamsburg Bridge

From the Queensboro Bridge, Loren’s friend Jack drove us down to the Williamsburg Bridge. The bridge is a suspension bridge across the East River connecting the Lower East Side of Manhattan at Delancey Street with the Williamsburg neighbourhood of Brooklyn at Broadway near the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (BQE).

This 2227m, eight lanes bridge has two train tracks carrying the ”J” train, "M" train, and "Z" lines of the New York City Subway. There is also a path for pedestrians and bicycles. The bridge was constructed by architect, Henry Hornbostel, and designer Leffert L. Buck. It was open on December 19, 1903. That was 115 years ago!

This bridge was more challenging to photograph from the vantage point at the foot of the bridge. I walked under and around the bridge trying to get a decent image of the length of the bridge. The support pillars of the bridge are surrounded by a fence with metal spikes at the top. I stood on one of the metal barriers to get a better shot.

Williamsburg Bridge — FujiFilm X-T2 + Fujifilm XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ (16 mm, f/8.0, ISO400), Copyright 2019-01-12 Khürt L. Williams
Williamsburg Bridge — FujiFilm X-T2 + Fujifilm XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ (16 mm, f/9.0, ISO400), Copyright 2019-01-12 Khürt L. Williams
Williamsburg Bridge — FujiFilm X-T2 + Fujifilm XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ (16 mm, f/8.0, ISO400), Copyright 2019-01-12 Khürt L. Williams
Williamsburg Bridge — FujiFilm X-T2 + Fujifilm XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ (42.7 mm, f/9.0, ISO400), Copyright 2019-01-12 Khürt L. Williams

George Washington Bridge and The Little Red Lighthouse

This past weekend I attended a New York City Bridges Photography Workshop with Loren Fisher and a group of photographers from New York City, New Jersey and Connecticut. The New Jersey group met at the Bridgewater Train Station. Loren drove to Penn Station where we picked a photographer from Weehawken, then we zipped over to Grand Central Staton to pickup photographers from Greenwich and Manhattan.

Our first stop was in Fort Washington Park where our group photographed the George Washington Bridge GWB and The Little Red Lighthouse under the watchful eye of a Port Authority guard who insisted that we exclude the east support pillar in any of our photographs. Just to be sure we behaved, an NYC police patrol car was on the scene. Fort Washington Park runs along a section of the Hudson River from 72nd Street to 158th street.

Under construction from 1927-1932 by Swiss engineer, Othmar Ammann, the 1,450 m GWB is a double-decked suspension bridge spanning the Hudson River. The bridge connects the Washington Heights neighbourhood of Manhattan with the borough of Fort Lee in New Jersey. The GWB has 8 lanes on the upper deck with 6 lanes on the lower deck and transport over 103 million vehicles per year between.

George Washington Bridge and The Little Red Lighthouse — FujiFilm X-T2 + Fujifilm XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ (16 mm, f/6.4, ISO200), Copyright 2019-01-12 Khürt L. Williams

The forty-foot Little Red Lighthouse was originally built as the North Hook Beacon at Sandy Hook, New Jersey, where it stood until 1917 when it became obsolete. The Lighthouse was moved to its current location in 1921 by the United States Coast Guard as part of a project to improve Hudson River navigational aids, and originally had a battery-powered lamp and a fog bell. It was operated by a part-time lighthouse keeper. In 1948, the lighthouse was decommissioned by the Coast Guard. The lights from the George Washington Bridge provided better lighting.

George Washington Bridge and The Little Red Lighthouse — FujiFilm X-T2 + Fujifilm XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ (30.2 mm, f/8.0, ISO200), Copyright 2019-01-12 Khürt L. Williams