Tag Archives: Deer Brook Bridge

Deer Brook Bridge Light Painting

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Fair weather has returned to the shoots.

This was our first attempt at lighting a bridge with multiple barrels. Deer Brook Bridge has two barrels, with a stream running through it. Given last week’s rain, we asked folks to wear waterproof shoes – they might be standing in the stream.

The necessary technology to run the shoot continues to grow. We have added walkie talkies for improved communication. Tom reminded us on the hike in that is was much more simple at the beginning, just a camera and a tripod. Now we’re using a tethered laptop, the walkie talkies, we have much more light power,  and of course, the treats have to be carried in as well. Actually, here’s the checklist we review before leaving the house.

When we arrived at the bridge, there were already 5 new folks there! Tom was video taping this shoot to document the process, so we headed down under the bridge to set up our tripods while Brenda got people set up with lights.

The pre-shot, with painters looking over the edge:

Deer Brook Pre Shoot

Notice the angle of the pre-shot is different from the angle of the final shot. With the challenge of the double barrel, I found it difficult to keep folks hidden in both barrels. I had to adjust the camera angle in the middle of the shoot to hide the people, not an easy feat while standing in the middle of a stream and being tethered to a computer.

The final shot:

 

Deer Brook Bridge Light Painting Acadia National Park

The shoot went smoother than usual, only needing to rearrange one person to even out the light. We think this was due to the number of people who showed up that night. We’re thankful for all 27 participants! The largest assembly of people for a bridge shoot yet.

Click on the video below, taken by Tom Lawrence, to see the light painting:

 

The light painters:

Deer Brook Bridge Light Painters

We welcomed six new light painters and all enjoyed Brenda’s apple cupcakes for a snack. For the raffle, Catie’s name was pulled first and she wasn’t there to win. Then, Jim’s name was pulled and he won the extra big print of Hadlock Brook Bridge. Then, come to find out from Kim at work, Catie hadn’t been at the previous bridge shot, it was Emma, and she was here too. So she should have won. To make up for it, we gave her a metal print. She’s the first person to own an official metal print, the chosen medium to display the prints at the end of the project.

 

Dual Bridge Scouting

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Tom, Marguerite, and I decided to scout two bridges in one afternoon. We wanted to see Deer Brook Bridge and Chasm Brook Bridge. There’s no safe approach for either of these bridges with snow on the ground. We need to fit them into the rotation before the snow falls.  We’re saving easy drive-up and shoot bridges (Eagle Lake, Jordan Pond Road, Duck Brook and even Stanley Brook) for the snow.

The weather was beautiful and we enjoyed our hike and bridge scouting. We all took plenty of photos too. There was a heavy rainfall over the past couple of days, giving us opportunities to shoot waterfalls. After 1.2 miles we arrived at Deer Brook Bridge and I determined the best position for the camera. I must haven taken 30 shots and about 5 different angles / locations.  I finally settled on what I think captures the unique features of this bridge. I left thinking we’re gonna need lots of folks – this will be the first attempt at shooting a double arched bridge. I hope we can hide the people and light the underside of both arches.

We continued on to Chasm Brook Bridge as Tom announced, “It’s about the same distance we’ve already hiked.”  Basically, we were halfway there. So another 1.2 miles and more stops to take pictures along the way. When we arrived, both Tom and I hiked up to the waterfalls and snapped a few shots. Here’s the one I took.

The first place my tripod landed to shoot the bridge was the location to capture the image.  Snapped a couple of shots, showed Tom and packed up to head home. It was about six hours from start to finish – boy, I’m a slow walker. On a personal note, I came up with a new configuration for holding my camera and tripod in my backpack. It’s a more efficient way to pack and unpack the gear. I was considering a new backpack – for now, I’ll give this a try and see how it works out.