I miraculously captured the First Street Bridge without any traffic on a Sunday afternoon. I’ve taken many pictures of the skyline from the Congress Avenue Bridge. It has a more dramatic view. But I think this one turned out okay. Though the skyline is recent, taken in October, the black and white gives it a more historic look — like something the highway department might use to document a roadway. I’ve seen similar kinds of photographs from the 1950s.

Taking pictures from here was not as easy as from bridge on Congress. I’ve tried before with my 40mm equivalent lens and couldn’t find a satisfactory composition. The walls that make it safe for pedestrians distracted from the image. With a wider 28mm equivalent, with more of the skyline in view, the expansiveness reduced the impact of unwanted details.

This was the first real photo I took with the Mamiya 35mm f3.5 and FotodioX tilt-shift adapter after my quick tests at home. Though my recent downtown Austin series is mostly in color, some pictures, like this one, seemed to look better in black and white.

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