Architecture

For this assignment, my first choice in buildings to photograph was the Sandy Creek Covered Bridge (National Historic Site) in Jefferson County. I got up early on Sunday and drove down there, however, the new construction on Hwy. 21 bypassed the site and I didn't realize I had passed it. I had wanted to be down there before sunrise, but it took some backtracking to find the turnoff, which was off old Hwy. 21. At any rate, when I reached the traffic gate it was locked, and not scheduled to be opened until 8 am. I believe art transcends the rules at times, so I parked at the firehouse and walked in. The temperature was 39 degrees and because the bridge is in a valley, it was still quite dark in the woods.

I returned to my car, and did some scouting around, and found some very interesting scenery, including the Villa Antonia Winery (gate locked). By the time I returned, the park gate had been opened so I was legally visiting the site.

As the sun started getting higher, it was a bright morning, so I had some difficulty with the highlights burning out and capturing the proper balance of light. I did several instances of the Auto Exposure Bracketing so I could practice HDR (High Dynamic Range) Photography.

Later Sunday afternoon, I went to Jefferson Barracks Park to the Historic Site. I have always been fascinated by the stone buildings and the military design. I did some shots at this location as well, but I was not very happy with the results. The sun was too bright and too high and I felt as if I had to try and shoot some because the buildings are closed Monday through Wednesday. If I were going to try this location again, I would definitely wait for early morning/late evening or a cloudy day.