553 - Wissahikon Creek
Today I stood so close to a highway I could feel the wind. All for a damn photo.
And this shoot wasn’t even planned. I was driving around Philadelphia like a dumbass when I saw a ray of light hitting a bridge so perfectly, I couldn’t help but stop in my tracks.
The only problem was that I was cruising down a raging highway.
No shoulder, no pull-overs, no nothing. So all I could do was sit by and watch as the perfect scene drifted by like a log in the sea.
It wasn’t until 10 minutes later that I encountered a spot where I could actually pull over and figure things out. So I traced my steps back like Dick Tracy and got a coordinate locked in.
The closest parking spot was a one mile walk from a nearby neighborhood. The bridge was essentially inside of a mini canyon with nothing but a highway and a bike path. Great.
I sat back and contemplated it for a minute. If I’m being honest, I wasn’t in the mood to walk today. Which is insane. I hike and run so much that a one stroll is nothing to me. Perhaps it was my spidey sense tingling that something was off?
Only one way to find out. I got out of my car, loaded my gear, and started walking.
It was a peaceful hike, despite the highway across the river sounding like missiles on a stormy beach. The canyon was echoing the sound, making it extra trippy.
Other than that, the place almost felt like a living, breathing greenhouse. The amount of vegetation growing was mind bending. After spending the past couple months in Utah and Colorado, I forgot what it was like to be in a state that actually had humidity.
I arrived at the bridge shortly thereafter. Only the scene was nothing like I thought it was.
I thought I saw a stone, moss-covered bridge, lit up by the evening sunset, with a full reflection in the river below. Turns out, all I got right was the stone part. The sun was gone, the river was wildin’, and there wasn’t a single inch of green moss to be found.
And to put a cherry on top, the only reasonable angle was about 1 foot from the highway, on the other side of a guardrail. Which meant cars were wheezing by you at 60mph, inches from your buttocks.
Needless to say, I didn’t get a shot.
I guess that’s what happens when you take a chance on a scene you saw out of the corner of your eye for three seconds.
Well, it was time for the Walk of Shame.
This is what happens on an adventure when all your hopes and dreams come crashing down, and you’re left with nothing to shoot but small shrubs.
It’s when you come to the realization that you now have to make something out of nothing. So I started looking in the nooks and crannies. What in this vegetation bonanza was going to tickle my fancy today?
Well, let me show you.
The first thing that got my shutter bug going was this towering wall of ivy:
“Ivy League”
Taken with Sony a7rIV+ Sony 12-24mm f/4 G
[ISO 1250 ~ 12mm ~ f/9 ~ 1/120s]
(Want a Print? Get one here.)
A wacky scene, for sure. Don’t think I’ve seen ivy like this… ever.
Also, I took this ultra-wide to get all the details. Lately I’ve been obsessed with the Sony 12-24mm lens. Foreground, background, 12mm. That’s my jam.
Moving along, I looked back across the highway at some yellow that caught my eye. It was an old house. Almost like something you’d see in the deep south, perhaps on a plantation. And it was resting in front of some swampy-ass water:
“Swamp Master”
Taken with Sony a7rIV + Sony 24-105mm f/4 G
[ISO 2500 ~ 39mm ~ f/9 ~ 1/160s]
(Want a Print? Get one here.)
I think it was the contrast that caught my eye. Prim, proper, and popping versus wet, muddy, and swamping. And fun fact, that image is now the wallpaper on my laptop. The more I stare at it, the more I enjoy it. And it’s got a kind of Halloween vibe.
Turns out this adventure wasn’t all that bad.
And on the plus side, at least I know my imagination is active and thriving. Now I need to go out and find that actual bridge…
I’m on a mission to explore as much as humanely possible.
Want to see my progress? Check out the Adventure Map.
*Please note this page contains affiliate links.
