The 'Nature' of Bridges: The Dreams of a Bridge

Since 2013 I've explored nature areas at night and its border zones, mainly in Texas, seeking fresh visions via a technique known as "light painting." Using long exposures during which I selectively "paint" with light beams, I especially like to go beyond the ordinary to reveal the uncommon potential of common scenes: The world as surreal, otherworldly. And whether illusory or not, I sense a spirit and vitality – a "vibrancy" -- in all things. Using lights of different color temperatures and extensive post-processing, I expressionistically stylize my photos to imply these notions. And to me, this transformation offers a visual metaphor to a psychological concept: Things can seem different if seen in a different light – the concept of "cognitive reframing." I call this exploration, which mainly consists of light painting landscapes, “Vibrant Night.” It consists of a number of subseries based on terrain or topic. “The ‘Nature’ of Bridges” is one such subseries, although it could be considered an independent adjunct series as it is substantial and can stand alone as architecture. But to me, as a fisherman, I see bridges – particularly the water under them – as a prime nature area. And I see bridges as part of the landscape, just as windmills and lighthouses are considered landscape objects. But even more, I see my bridge work as having much in common with my encompassing body of work, Vibrant Night: what I stated in my opening paragraph also applies to it. Beyond this I see bridges as metaphorical gateways to other realms – and I often use them, as I did at my FotoFest 2018 portfolio review, as as introduction to other parts of "Vibrant Night": a hypnotic pathway into other realms of surreality. Moreover, amid other parts of nature, they symbolize a spiritual side to me – the spirit of humankind.