What Is The Bridgeton Covered Bridge And Where Is It?
The Bridgeton Covered Bridge is one of about 98 covered bridges in the state of Indiana. It is an historic covered bridge that was built in 1868 by a group organized by J.J. Daniels. For much of its existence it was open to vehicular traffic. That ended in 1967. In 2005 the original bridge was destroyed by an arson fire and the current bridge built in 2006. The bridge crosses Big Raccoon Creek. It is about 267 feet long and 13 feet wide. It is a Burr Arch Truss Bridge that is now only open to pedestrian traffic.
On one side of Big Raccoon Creek is the historic Bridgeton grist mill. Like the original bridge, the original mill burned down and was rebuilt but that was way back in 1869 and was rebuilt in 1871. Most recently (at least up until the pandemic) the Bridgeton Mill was open to the public and still operating as a mill powered by Big Raccoon Creek. The Bridgeton Covered Bridge is likely the most famous covered bridge in Indiana and the small town of Bridgeton, Indiana hosts a covered bridge festival that welcomes as many at 1 million people to the town over 10 days in October each year.
What Is It Like To Travel To Bridgeton, Indiana To Photograph The Bridgeton Covered Bridge?
Bridgeton, Indiana is a small rural town. Aside from the bridge there is not a whole lot there. Both Wyndham Hotels and Choice Hotels have a number of hotels located within about 20 miles of Bridgeton if you need an inexpensive place to stay. Bloomington, Indiana can be a reasonable place to stay if you want wander around to a lot of covered bridges in Indiana.
When there is no festival going on, a visit to the Bridgeton Covered Bridge and the adjacent grist mill can be a very relaxing day trip with few if any crowds. If you go there in October during the covered bridge festival, it may be a great time but will certainly be much more crowded and not a particularly good time to visit if you just want to photograph the bridge and surrounding landscape without hoards of people in your photos.
You can walk across the bridge, walk down to the edge of Big Raccoon Creek and roam around until you find the perfect way to frame up a great shot.
What Does It Take To Get A Wall Art Quality Photo Of The Bridgeton Covered Bridge And Grist Mill?
What constitutes a good or great photo of the Bridgeton Covered Bridge and Grist Mill is pretty subjective. Anyone can park, walk around the bridge and mill and take a few shots. Almost any shot will show off the historic nature of these two structures and the creek that runs through the area.
If you’ll be going during the day partly cloudy skies will definitely add some texture and soften up the look of the photos you take there. When this photo was taken it was late afternoon, a wicked storm with torrential rains was moving in. That wiped out the chance to get any sunset shots there. That being said, it is certainly be a place I’d try for sunset or sunrise photos if I had the chance to go back. Searching online doesn’t seem to yield many sunrise or sunset photos there. This is one landscape shot that is probably enhanced by bad weather, particularly if you can catch a storm moving in or clearing out.
What Is The Best Gear For Photographing The Bridgeton Covered Bridge And Grist Mill?
When photographing the Bridgeton Covered Bridge and Grist Mill, most any camera will do. If you want to get wall art quality images and make decent sized prints you’ll probably want to have a DSLR or a mirrorless camera and a lens with a zoom range of somewhere between 18mm and 100mm. A cel phone camera would work just fine for some cool shots to post on Facebook or other social media sites or to share with friends.
A panoramic setup or a camera that can shoot panoramic shots internally could be useful a the Bridgeton Covered Bridge and grist mill from some perspectives.
What Is The Story Behind This Bridgeton Covered Bridge And Grist Mill Stormy Skies Photo?
This photo was taken during a months long road trip to the western US and back. I spent a few nights in Bloomington, Indiana while heading back to Philly in 2018 and drove around to find as many covered bridges as possible. The visit to the Bridgeton Covered Bridge was later in the day after I’d been to a bunch of other covered bridges in Parke County, Indiana.
Rain storms were predicted to roll in that afternoon. As I pulled up to the Bridgeton Covered Bridge and grist mill, the storm clouds rolled in quickly. There was enough time to wander around and take a few shots with partly cloudy skies. Soon after I walked down to the edge of Big Raccoon Creek, the dark clouds rolled in quickly. As they rolled in I was able to get to snap a few photos of the incoming dark clouds over the bridge before the skies opened up.
Once it started pouring, I scurried back to the car and waited for the storm to pass. After a half hour, sunset was approaching. It was clear that the storm was not going to pass before dark. I called it a day and headed back to review the days photos back in Bloomington, Indiana.
In What Formats Is This Bridgeton Covered Bridge Stormy Skies Wall Art Print Available?
The Bridgeton Covered Bridge and Grist Mill print under stormy skies is available in sizes up to 40×60 inches. You can choose form a variety of material to have it printed on. Matte paper and canvas prints have nice rich colors and will look great under any lighting conditions. Bright indoor lights or an abundance of natural light will both lend themselves well to handing matte prints.
If you’ve got an area with more subdued lighting, then a more shiny, reflective metallic type print may be the way to go. If this is the look you want, then a paper print with a metallic or glossy finish could be a great choice. Likewise an actual metal or acrylic print can look incredible in an area with more diffused lighting.
If you’d like to show off the Bridgeton Covered Bridge and Grist Mill scene in the form of home decor, the scene looks great on shower curtain and Sherpa fleece blankets. If you go with a fleece blanket, definitely go with Sherpa fleece and not the regular fleece!
If you’d like something to wear or carry around with you, canvas tote bags look awesome and make great substitutes for plastic grocery bags. The image looks great on apparel and can make a nice cel phone case though the image will probably be cropped somewhat on a cel phone case.
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