The Bridge Approaches (Halifax, Nova Scotia)

Though it doesn't really show in my on-line work, one of my passions is industrial photography. Halifax isn't exactly the most industrial city in the world, and therein lies the reason why there are few industrial scenes on line. All that said, for two or three years now, I have been mulling over the idea of photographing the overpasses and approaches to the MacDonald bridge, in the north end of the city. There's something I find incredibly compelling about sweeping concrete overpasses and uneven swatches of pavement arcing around corners. It is a very visual place for me.

6x12 cm film

The day was promising to be a hot one, so I set out at 8:30 am, late enough to avoid morning rush-hour, and early enough to beat the worst of the heat. The strange thing is that as clear as the approaches were as a subject in general, I had a very hard time finding images that expressed exactly what I perceived in them - it was one of the most challenging sessions I've had in a while - I could see the potential, but found it very hard to translate onto film.

4"x5" film

In the end, there were a few strong images, and an awful lot of almost. I'll be returning again (and again and again?) to work with the space - having started, I know that the images are there just waiting to be revealed. The funny thing was that I was so worried about cars, and they weren't a problem at all - I had more problem avoiding having people in the images.

4"x5" film

Much of these images come directly from experiencing the work of a fellow photographer on the net, Phil Buehler. Phil's images reminded me of what I loved about urban spaces, but haven't looked at in a quite some time. My work has no direct similarities to his, but the overpass project is a direct result of viewing his photographs.