The Bridges of Kent County, a photo from Michigan, Midwest

Photographer's Note

The 120 foot (37 meter) long Whites Covered Bridge is a bit up stream, on the Flat River, from the Fallasburg Covered Bridge . It was built in 1867 by Jared Brezee who also built the Fallasburg Bridge. The name comes from the White family which was a prominent family among the early settlers in the area. The area had been a crossing point long before the first bridge was built here in 1840.

This bridge, like the other, used the Brown Truss design. The Brown Truss design uses an "X" pattern of construction but unlike other bridges the Brown design uses lighter and less wood. The parts are secured by wooden pegs and square iron nails. A difference from the Fallasburg Bridge is that the cost here was $1700 opposed to the $1500.

This is one of three covered bridges still remaining in Michigan that are open to traffic. The Fallasburg Bridge down stream is another one. I'm not exactly sure which covered bridge is the third one.

Covered bridges were a common sight throughout the United States in the 19th century. As the new nation expanded rapidly westward lines of communication needed to be rapidly and economically built. Because forests covered much of the eastern part of the continent wood was the material of choice. It was cheap, located everywhere and easy to work with. But wooden bridges suffered from rot and weathering. So to keep the structures of bridges protected they were covered with roofs and siding. And so covered bridges came about.

I was about to name my previous photo "The Bridges of Kent County" based on the book/film "The Bridges of Madison County". And since so many made that connection despite my other title I decided to go ahead and give this one that name. And it shows the widespread use of covered bridges. From Kent County, Michigan, to Madison County, Iowa, some 600 miles (1000 km) away.

And another thing was that this bridge has had a stop sign and weight limit sign placed in an undesirable spot at the entrance. In the workshop I have a second view that minimizes the signs but does not offer the perspective or backdrop that I like in this one.

rabani, orme, supereira, Schultzy, ma-tibou, elihesamian, bpelvan, nwoehnl, kajenn, papagolf21, ChrisJ, bertolucci, jhm, phi729, Gix, RegisMinot, Jean-Luc, weswang has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

orme (7205) 2004-11-08 2:43

A great shot, Paul, and a clever title. I like this shot slightly more than your previous one, because although the POV is not as good, the colourful leaves make an excellent background. The bridge at this angle does add a nice perspective - more than your workshop. I hope you don't mind - but I did a WS to add more contrast and to see what it would be like 'without' the signs. Well seen and framed. Great note.

[workshop] [compare] +

crabmistress (268) 2004-11-08 3:02 [Comment]

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Spoony (3539) 2004-11-08 5:32

This kind of places are always agreable to me... makes part of my imaginarium! Thanks for sharing it.
Well done and seen Paul.

supereira (9576) 2004-11-08 6:35

Great textures,light and sharpness.I like a lot the colors and the contrast between them.Good composition and framing.Great POV and DOF.Well done.

Schultzy (5446) 2004-11-08 10:39

First of all, it's a good idea to take advantage of the beautiful colors of autum to take a picture of this bridge. Very nice framing and DoF and of course nice background. The subject and the note are very interesting. Well done Paul !

ma-tibou (4566) 2004-11-08 12:42

Bonsoir Paul, jolies couleurs automnales pour ce magnifique endroit , ce beau pont recouvert, ( automatiquement dés que je vois un de ces ponts je pense au film "Sur la route de Madisson" que j'ai dù voir je ne sais plus combien de fois, belle réalisation.
amitié/ martine.

elihesamian (26127) 2004-11-08 13:52

in 1867!...it's very intresting for me about that time,for imagination,with this shot,and a great harmonic colors which help me about the time when workers built it and White family controlled it during prossec,...a fine in your new series,witha great title,too,very well composed and I like it with this autumnal atmosphere,You did great ,Paul.

bpelvan (3798) 2004-11-08 14:18

The signs are also a part of this beautiful bridge Paul. I'm glad you did not clone them. A great photo again. Autumn colors are giving the feel of sadness and the bridge itself the lonliness..)))
Very sharp and well framed. Thanks for sharing...

nwoehnl (122) 2004-11-08 15:25

Beautiful view of this covered bridge, Paul. The diagonal shooting angle was well chosen to get a good feel of the way it spans the Flat River, and very good to see it embedded in the beautiful autumn foliage color setting. Very informative notes, as always, well done. I think I would have cropped this one a bit tighter at the top (to reduce the amount of bright sky), and bottom (for balance).

kajenn (2406) 2004-11-08 19:38

Another beautiful bridge shot, Paul, including nice Autumn colors as backdrop. As you stress, the signs are a bit of a distraction, but I like this angle better than the WS. However Andrew's WS is making wonders. There's a nice perspective feel to the image and also a great sense of lifting/carrying - and that's what bridges do - as the dark underside of the bridge is reflected in the water. Very well done!

papagolf21 (76611) 2004-11-09 3:35

La vue rapprochée nous permet de voir les détails de ce pont particulièrement original (je n'ai jamais vu, sauf erreur de ce genre de pont en France).
Il fallait que la construction soit solide pour supporter non seulement les véhicules qui empruntent le pont, mais également le poids des ans.
Superbe prise de vue, Paul.
Merci encore pour la note.

harold (2347) 2004-11-09 6:53

des couleurs automnales superbe qui renforce le charme de ce pont couvert, beau travail.

RGatward (20050) 2004-11-09 7:06

A really good series you've got here Paul, and another good example. Added to theme

ChrisJ (86932) 2004-11-10 3:39

A beautiful rustic & rural atmosphere is conveyed by this superb image, which is resplendent with its autumn foliage. Great pov of this covered bridge.

rabani (9645) 2004-11-10 4:40

There's lightness to this autumn view of this covered bridge, due to the overexposed sky. Which I think work well with this. A bit sombre bright but nothing so moody. And the autumn organic colors works and blended well with the wooden bridge.

bertolucci (13351) 2004-11-11 11:34

Hi Paul, another fine covered bridge capture. Great that you offer this together with y'r excellent note, it gives us the ability to study the wooden-truss construction (never seen it before). The diagonal compo is well chosen & the autumnal foliage forms a very nice backdrop again.
The xposure is a tad on the bright side, I did a WS 4U. Added to the outdoor type theme. Oh yes, love the name of y'r pic ;-). Very fine work!

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jhm (122490) 2004-11-12 6:38

Again great fine covered bridge capture, also the autumn colours on the background its lovely, it perspective of house above the bridge is perfect, everything sharp and clear. Thanks for posting Paul!

phi729 (2101) 2004-11-12 11:28

Hi Paul :)

Nicely composed. The POV is well-chosen to show us the road, bridge, river, and the beautiful surrounding autumn's forest. Good exposure too, letting to see the wooden framework inside the roofing. Very interesting note (especially about the roofing). Well Done, Paul.

PS : I like also the two WS (Orme and Bertolucci). Good idea to have removed the graffito, but not the signs, for Orme.

billabongx (1585) 2004-11-12 12:31

It´s a nice image!Very well composed with lots of elements. colour, sharp, bridge and vegetation are adorable.

Gix (3565) 2004-11-13 3:20

Hi Paul!
this remember to me a romantic book ("The Bridges of Madison Country") that i have readed many years ago...
The autumns colors are full of warm and details, the perspective of the bridge give movement and the sensation of the deep dimension.
Very nice! Is perhaps a pity not to have a blue sky... i would like to see another shot of this place taked in winter, with a lot of snow!!
Compliments!
ciao, Giorgio

RegisMinot (1541) 2004-11-20 3:35

Le cadrage est parfait, le décor automnal est splendide. La prise de vue permet d'avoir la perception de l'automobiliste qui arrive à lentrée du pont, et en même temps celle du promeneur qui s'interesse à sa construction et à la rivière qui passe en dessous. Belle photo de cet ouvrage typique des états-unis.

Jean-Luc (5488) 2004-11-27 7:02

Merci pour votre réponse très interéssante relative aux ponts couverts. Et je découvre encore une note instructive avec cette vue.
Voilà aussi ce pont qui me plait car je trouve cela original et surtout bien intégré à son environnement.
Par contre les couleurs me semblent un peu pâles aussi je me suis permi in WS pour vous donner mon idée de la couleurs qui devrait être plus chaude à l'automne.

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weswang (18223) 2005-02-09 1:46

Great job on the popular topic in the magnificant mix of color.

danyy (0) 2005-03-02 13:39

Bonjour Paul,
Un pont vraiment typique des E.U.
Tu nous le propose ici au travers d'une photo aux teintes d'automne très naturellles. Il est dommage que ce ciel soit si blanc derrière.
Daniel.

jrzufferey (7301) 2005-07-19 14:30

Une image de qui me rappelle le pont de Madison film plus ou moins connu selon les cinéphiles. Les couleurs automnales nous donnent presque des teintes à la limite de la surexposition. Amicalement/jr