Bridge supports and cables
Architecture,  Monochrome Madness,  Photographic techniques,  Themed galleries

Gallery: seeing bridges in black and white

September 19, 2024 / 58 Comments

The wisdom of bridges comes from the fact that they know the both sides, they know the both shores!

Mehmet Murat Ildan

Who doesn’t love a bridge? There’s something special about being able to cross from one side to another, knowing that without the bridge this would be impossible. Crossing one is like moving into another world, where each step carries you from the familiar into the unknown.

As you cross you find yourself suspended between two worlds, the known world you left behind and the new one yet to be discovered. And when you reach the other side, what will you find? Will it be the same as the place you left, or will it feel different in some way?

We build too many walls and not enough bridges

Isaac Newton

Bridges of course lend themselves particularly well to black and white photography. Their strong shapes are ideal for this medium, so I’m very pleased that Leanne has chosen this theme for a Monochrome Madness challenge. I had fun going through my archives to find bridge shots that would convert well, and as always used Nik Silver Efex Pro for those conversions.

Wide river with old and modern buildings and a bridge with towers

How could I not include Tower Bridge in London?!

River reflecting three bridges very close to each other

And just three of the seven bridges across the Tyne in Newcastle, England?

From front to back: the Swing Bridge, High Level (road and rail) Bridge, and Queen Elizabeth II (Metro) Bridge

Wooden bridge over a river with people boating under it

The Mathematical Bridge in Cambridge, England

Although it appears to be an arch, it is constructed entirely with straight timbers in an unusually sophisticated engineering design, hence the name

Bridge with buildings on crossing a river with a weir

Pulteney Bridge over the River Avon, Bath, England

Designed by by Robert Adam, it is said to be one of only four bridges in the world to have shops across its full span on both sides

Large dramatic waterfall and metal bridge

The Victoria Falls Bridge over the Zambezi River, linking Zimbabwe and Zambia, seen from a helicopter flight

Low stone bridge

Sonjuk Bridge, Kaesong, North Korea

A rare historical site (UNESCO listed) in a country where most buildings were flattened by war

Small covered bridge over a river lined with trees

Bridge over the Siem Reap river in the town of the same name, Cambodia

Oriental style bridge with a tiled roof

The Japanese Covered Bridge in Hoi An, Vietnam

Small boy on a bamboo bridge over the Nam Khan in Luang Prabang, Laos

The bridge will be washed away in the high waters of the rainy season and replaced the following year

High bridge made from bamboo poles with a boy on it looking down
Narrow suspension bridge at tree level

Hanging bridge at Selvatura, Costa Rica

The Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco

From an old slide taken in 1991

Tall metal towers with cables supporting a bridge
High metal bridge linking two rocky points of land

Deception Pass Bridge, Washington State

Bridge with decorative lampposts and statues

Pont Alexandre III, Paris

Bridge with sculpture of woman riding a large fish

Pont Mirabeau, Paris

Bridge crossing the tip of an island with old houses and a small park

And my favourite Pont Neuf, again in Paris

And finally …

Please have a look HERE at what I consider to be one of the best black and white bridge photos ever, of one of my favourite views. Not taken by me, needless to say, but I do have a framed print of it on our dining room wall, a gift from my husband.

The Pont Neuf, frozen in medieval stone, carries the whispers of Parisians long gone

Victor Hugo

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