Photographing the Covered Bridges of Ashtabula County
There is something alluring about covered bridges in a landscape photograph. During my early years of photography, I spent time (and a lot of film) photographing the numerous covered bridges dotting Vermont and New Hampshire. The bridges themselves may only be 100 to 150 years old at most, but they harken back to an earlier, simpler time.
The fact that the bridges are physically covered with walls and a roof is more a functional reason than aesthetic. The walls and roof protect the bridge structure from the elements. At the time of initial construction, the material used was wood and being a natural material, it is subject to natural weathering and decay. Bridge walls and roof kept the wood structural members dry. This prevented water absorption and eventually rot resulting in a potential bridge collapse. It is thought that an open-air wooden bridge may have a life span of twenty years, whereas a covered bridge can easily last twice as long. Many covered bridges last 100 years before a major restoration is needed.
Ashtabula county, located in Northeast Ohio, has nineteen total covered bridges of which seventeen are open to vehicular traffic. (One sits in a park adjacent to the road it once served. The last one was relocated and converted into a pizza shop - yes, I have ordered a pizza there, if you are wondering. They are not all 100 years old, but adherence to traditional design and construction makes the visitor feel as though they are in a bygone era. In the United States, Pennsylvania has the most covered bridges with about 213. Ohio comes in second with 148.
For my assignment – to photograph the bridges in Black and White - I set out early one morning to begin photographing the seventeen drivable bridges in the early morning light. “Early Light” would produce longer and more pronounced shadows in my images. Working only in monochrome, it is critical to understand that the restricted palette relies heavily on light, shadow and texture. To further assist me in capturing the mood and feel bridges, as well as my vision for them, I was carrying a large selection of my Singh-Ray Filters: Galen Rowell Graduated Neutral Density (ND) Filters - 2, 3 and 4 stop in both hard and soft edge, George Lepp Solid Neutral Density (ND) Filters – 2, 3 and 4 stop, Mor-Slo Solid Neutral Density (ND) Filters – 10 and 15 stop, Vari-N-Duo Variable Neutral Density (ND) Filter , Vari-ND Variable Neutral Density (ND) Filter, Gold – n – Blue Polarizer, LB Color Combo Polarizer, LB Color Intensifier, Hi-Lux Warming Protective filter, I-Ray 830 nm Infrared Filter, Tony Sweet Soft Ray Diffusion Filter. I carried additionally some B&W Contrast Filters (not made by Singh-Ray) in Red (Wratten 25), Orange (Wratten 16), Light Yellow (Wratten 8), Deep Yellow (Wratten 15), Green (Wratten 13) and Green – Yellow (Wratten 11). Do I use every filter on every assignment – no, of course not. My selection depends heavily on the light, weather, mood and several other considerations at each location. I have other filters, but this is my “core selection” of filters.
My first stop would be the Caine Road Covered Bridge spanning the west branch of the Ashtabula River in Pierpont Township. The bridge itself is a single span of 124 feet and was built in honor of Ashtabula County's 175th anniversary in 1986. I have photographed the bridge before and each visit is a different experience and a different view.
The low angle of the morning light extended the shadows of the trees more than halfway across the roadway for a strong contrast of both light and dark. I chose to use a 28mm f2.8 Zeiss Biogon Lens on my Leica M Monochrome Type 246. Metering the scene with a handheld incident meter, I determined the exposure to be ISO 320, 1/30 @ f22 in the sunlit part of the road. By metering for this area, I ensured the deeper richer black of the shadows. I opted to use a “frontal” composition of the bridge aligning with the rule of thirds. Photographing covered bridges, the context of the bridge is the first choice I make in deciding how the image will come together - What brings the bridge to life is its surroundings? How does it fit into its environment? Then, what makes compositional sense? I will often visit a bridge on a scouting trip per se, walk around it for a while and then return the next day, when the light is just right.
For this image I first chose an orange contrast filter and slid it into my size “P” filter holder. I use the Cokin Evo Aluminum P Series Filter Holder for all my filters with simple adapter rings for the lenses I have. The orange contrast filter does darken the skies and gives definition to the clouds. Additionally, it gives a better contrast to the greens in the photograph. Next, I selected the Galen Rowell Graduated Neutral Density (ND) Filter -3 stop soft edge. Normally, I would not use that filter in this situation, but with the tops of the trees on both sides of the image being deep in shadow, a little extra darkening created by the graduated filter would not result in a noticeable effect.
Graduated Neutral Density (ND) Filters can be tricky to align, especially the soft edge filters. I start by metering both the foreground and then the sky. In this case at the Caine Road Covered Bridge, the sky was a full two stops brighter. I was already using the orange contrast filter, which would dictate my slowing the exposure by 2 stops to compensate for the filter strength. The Graduated Neutral Density (ND) Filter would, in this case, only balance the scene to bring the image closer to the one correct exposure. In this case it was a 2-stop difference. I used the 3-stop filter as a result. I normally will select a filter that is 1-stop stronger in Neutral Density, when working in the field. The gradual transition from 0-stops at the middle and bottom of the filter to 3-stops at the top gives me great latitude in the vertical placement of the filter in the holder.
The Leica M is a rangefinder camera’s viewfinder does not share the same optical path as the lens, so to adjust the Galen Rowell Graduated Neutral Density (ND) Filter vertically by sight, an electronic viewfinder was attached to the camera. Additionally, the filter holder does block part of the rangefinder’s view finder necessitating the electronic viewfinder for that reason as well. The orange filter also darkened the scene by two stops of light, so I slowed my shutter speed to 1/8” to compensate and made the exposure.
A short distance away from the Caine Road Covered Bridge was the South Denmark Road Covered Bridge. All of the bridges are close enough that they can be driven and visited in one day, if you start early. This covered bridge spans Mill Creek in Denmark Township. The bridge was built in 1895 and then bypassed by the roadway and a steel trestle bridge in 1975. The 100-foot span is still passable, but has a weight limit of 4,000 lbs. The construction date of 1895 is also questionable with some sources stating the bridge was actually built as early as 1860, but the official record states 1895.
The side of the bridge displays a quilt pattern installed in 2015 called “Flying Geese and Leaves”. The Flying Geese pattern was used to point freedom seekers on the Underground Railroad to the location of safe houses. Currently in Ashtabula County, there are more than 100 quilt squares adorning barns, bridges and other buildings as part of a quilting trail.
For this photograph, I was standing near the bypass bridge. The sun was now a bit higher in the sky than previously. I was also capturing my image more across the light than with it behind me. This is an important lighting condition for polarizers. The closer to perpendicular the camera is position is in relation to the sun, the stronger the polarized light effect will be. At the Caine Road Covered Bridge earlier, the sun was almost directly behind me, rendering no noticeable effect with a polarizing filter.
For capturing this bridge, I chose to use a 21mm f4 Voigtländer Color Skopar Lens on my Leica M Monochrome Type 246. Metering the scene with a handheld incident meter, I determined the exposure to be ISO 320, 1/30 @ f22. Compositionally, I opted to use a “spanning” composition of the bridge over the river. The quilt square is a key element and the highlight in the story of this bridge.
For this image I would be stacking a round filter with square filters. Using stepping rings, I first selected the LB Color Combo Polarizer. Using the Leica electronic viewfinder, I was able to determine the amount of polarization needed for the best image. I then simply used an adapter ring to mount the Cokin Evo Aluminum P Series Filter Holder and inserted a green contrast filter. The green filter worked in tandem with the LB Color Combo Polarizer to enhance the clouds and sky in the shot. Additionally, the green filter gave me better definition and contrast to the foliage in the scene. The green filter typically slows the exposure by 2 stops, but in this case, I only compensated 1 stop. This allowed the highlights in the clouds to be better defined. In digital, exposures are best made for the highlights as we can always rescue the shadows (to a point) in post processing.
The fact that the bridges are physically covered with walls and a roof is more a functional reason than aesthetic. The walls and roof protect the bridge structure from the elements. At the time of initial construction, the material used was wood and being a natural material, it is subject to natural weathering and decay. Bridge walls and roof kept the wood structural members dry. This prevented water absorption and eventually rot resulting in a potential bridge collapse. It is thought that an open-air wooden bridge may have a life span of twenty years, whereas a covered bridge can easily last twice as long. Many covered bridges last 100 years before a major restoration is needed.
Ashtabula county, located in Northeast Ohio, has nineteen total covered bridges of which seventeen are open to vehicular traffic. (One sits in a park adjacent to the road it once served. The last one was relocated and converted into a pizza shop - yes, I have ordered a pizza there, if you are wondering. They are not all 100 years old, but adherence to traditional design and construction makes the visitor feel as though they are in a bygone era. In the United States, Pennsylvania has the most covered bridges with about 213. Ohio comes in second with 148.
For my assignment – to photograph the bridges in Black and White - I set out early one morning to begin photographing the seventeen drivable bridges in the early morning light. “Early Light” would produce longer and more pronounced shadows in my images. Working only in monochrome, it is critical to understand that the restricted palette relies heavily on light, shadow and texture. To further assist me in capturing the mood and feel bridges, as well as my vision for them, I was carrying a large selection of my Singh-Ray Filters: Galen Rowell Graduated Neutral Density (ND) Filters - 2, 3 and 4 stop in both hard and soft edge, George Lepp Solid Neutral Density (ND) Filters – 2, 3 and 4 stop, Mor-Slo Solid Neutral Density (ND) Filters – 10 and 15 stop, Vari-N-Duo Variable Neutral Density (ND) Filter , Vari-ND Variable Neutral Density (ND) Filter, Gold – n – Blue Polarizer, LB Color Combo Polarizer, LB Color Intensifier, Hi-Lux Warming Protective filter, I-Ray 830 nm Infrared Filter, Tony Sweet Soft Ray Diffusion Filter. I carried additionally some B&W Contrast Filters (not made by Singh-Ray) in Red (Wratten 25), Orange (Wratten 16), Light Yellow (Wratten 8), Deep Yellow (Wratten 15), Green (Wratten 13) and Green – Yellow (Wratten 11). Do I use every filter on every assignment – no, of course not. My selection depends heavily on the light, weather, mood and several other considerations at each location. I have other filters, but this is my “core selection” of filters.
My first stop would be the Caine Road Covered Bridge spanning the west branch of the Ashtabula River in Pierpont Township. The bridge itself is a single span of 124 feet and was built in honor of Ashtabula County's 175th anniversary in 1986. I have photographed the bridge before and each visit is a different experience and a different view.
The low angle of the morning light extended the shadows of the trees more than halfway across the roadway for a strong contrast of both light and dark. I chose to use a 28mm f2.8 Zeiss Biogon Lens on my Leica M Monochrome Type 246. Metering the scene with a handheld incident meter, I determined the exposure to be ISO 320, 1/30 @ f22 in the sunlit part of the road. By metering for this area, I ensured the deeper richer black of the shadows. I opted to use a “frontal” composition of the bridge aligning with the rule of thirds. Photographing covered bridges, the context of the bridge is the first choice I make in deciding how the image will come together - What brings the bridge to life is its surroundings? How does it fit into its environment? Then, what makes compositional sense? I will often visit a bridge on a scouting trip per se, walk around it for a while and then return the next day, when the light is just right.
For this image I first chose an orange contrast filter and slid it into my size “P” filter holder. I use the Cokin Evo Aluminum P Series Filter Holder for all my filters with simple adapter rings for the lenses I have. The orange contrast filter does darken the skies and gives definition to the clouds. Additionally, it gives a better contrast to the greens in the photograph. Next, I selected the Galen Rowell Graduated Neutral Density (ND) Filter -3 stop soft edge. Normally, I would not use that filter in this situation, but with the tops of the trees on both sides of the image being deep in shadow, a little extra darkening created by the graduated filter would not result in a noticeable effect.
Graduated Neutral Density (ND) Filters can be tricky to align, especially the soft edge filters. I start by metering both the foreground and then the sky. In this case at the Caine Road Covered Bridge, the sky was a full two stops brighter. I was already using the orange contrast filter, which would dictate my slowing the exposure by 2 stops to compensate for the filter strength. The Graduated Neutral Density (ND) Filter would, in this case, only balance the scene to bring the image closer to the one correct exposure. In this case it was a 2-stop difference. I used the 3-stop filter as a result. I normally will select a filter that is 1-stop stronger in Neutral Density, when working in the field. The gradual transition from 0-stops at the middle and bottom of the filter to 3-stops at the top gives me great latitude in the vertical placement of the filter in the holder.
The Leica M is a rangefinder camera’s viewfinder does not share the same optical path as the lens, so to adjust the Galen Rowell Graduated Neutral Density (ND) Filter vertically by sight, an electronic viewfinder was attached to the camera. Additionally, the filter holder does block part of the rangefinder’s view finder necessitating the electronic viewfinder for that reason as well. The orange filter also darkened the scene by two stops of light, so I slowed my shutter speed to 1/8” to compensate and made the exposure.
A short distance away from the Caine Road Covered Bridge was the South Denmark Road Covered Bridge. All of the bridges are close enough that they can be driven and visited in one day, if you start early. This covered bridge spans Mill Creek in Denmark Township. The bridge was built in 1895 and then bypassed by the roadway and a steel trestle bridge in 1975. The 100-foot span is still passable, but has a weight limit of 4,000 lbs. The construction date of 1895 is also questionable with some sources stating the bridge was actually built as early as 1860, but the official record states 1895.
The side of the bridge displays a quilt pattern installed in 2015 called “Flying Geese and Leaves”. The Flying Geese pattern was used to point freedom seekers on the Underground Railroad to the location of safe houses. Currently in Ashtabula County, there are more than 100 quilt squares adorning barns, bridges and other buildings as part of a quilting trail.
For this photograph, I was standing near the bypass bridge. The sun was now a bit higher in the sky than previously. I was also capturing my image more across the light than with it behind me. This is an important lighting condition for polarizers. The closer to perpendicular the camera is position is in relation to the sun, the stronger the polarized light effect will be. At the Caine Road Covered Bridge earlier, the sun was almost directly behind me, rendering no noticeable effect with a polarizing filter.
For capturing this bridge, I chose to use a 21mm f4 Voigtländer Color Skopar Lens on my Leica M Monochrome Type 246. Metering the scene with a handheld incident meter, I determined the exposure to be ISO 320, 1/30 @ f22. Compositionally, I opted to use a “spanning” composition of the bridge over the river. The quilt square is a key element and the highlight in the story of this bridge.
For this image I would be stacking a round filter with square filters. Using stepping rings, I first selected the LB Color Combo Polarizer. Using the Leica electronic viewfinder, I was able to determine the amount of polarization needed for the best image. I then simply used an adapter ring to mount the Cokin Evo Aluminum P Series Filter Holder and inserted a green contrast filter. The green filter worked in tandem with the LB Color Combo Polarizer to enhance the clouds and sky in the shot. Additionally, the green filter gave me better definition and contrast to the foliage in the scene. The green filter typically slows the exposure by 2 stops, but in this case, I only compensated 1 stop. This allowed the highlights in the clouds to be better defined. In digital, exposures are best made for the highlights as we can always rescue the shadows (to a point) in post processing.
