In September, we hosted KEY BRIDGE, a terrific fine art photography exhibition by Eric Johnson. The show was a fan favorite among locals who often shared their own experiences with the bridge as they viewed the show. While the physical exhibition has ended, it can be viewed in its entirety online here.
Given the interest in the bridge and the images Eric included, we asked him to tell us more about the impetus for this project and how he put his show together.
Why did you choose Key Bridge as the subject for this project?
It’s a structure that has always attracted me. I’ve kayaked underneath it, cycled near it, and driven over it. I’ve seen it in all different seasons and lighting. It’s a beautiful bridge, and it’s celebrating its centennial this year.
At the same time, for personal growth as a photographer, I wanted to take a single subject and do a deep dive. Another big project of mine has been shooting along Route 50, which spans the country from east to west. While that project also has a single geographical focus, the possibilities for shooting are vast given the road’s length. For this project, I wanted to challenge myself to create a body of work based on a much more constrained subject.
In preparing for the show, did you start from scratch or select from existing images?
I first went through my archive and found about a dozen shoots over the prior 7 years that included images of Key Bridge. I found more than 500 images related to the bridge, and I chose what I thought were the most interesting of these as my initial base. Then, over the next 6 months, I visited the bridge 11 more times at various times of day and in varying weather conditions to capture additional images for what I was envisioning.
Were you trying to capture specific shots or did you wait to see what you found?
A bit of both. I got lucky on the day I shot the panorama. When I arrived, the bridge was shrouded in dense fog. That’s not something I could have planned. Other shots were previsualized. I knew I wanted to capture certain night shots, for example, or images of people and cars in certain arrangements. I wanted variety so it didn’t become too repetitive. To help, I broke the images into categories: the whole bridge, people interacting with the bridge, abstracts, views from the bridge, etc…By grouping images into these buckets, I was able to ensure I had representation in all of them.
In the end, you had a multitude of good images to choose from. How did you make your final selections for the exhibition?
I considered how they might play together on the gallery walls. I tended to favor those that were good from a technical perspective – sharp, good tonal range, strong composition. Sometimes there would be an image I liked, but something was lacking, and I would go out and reshoot it. There are still images I have in mind that I haven’t captured to my satisfaction so the project will continue even after the exhibition.
You said you started this project for personal growth. What lessons did you take away from it?
Focusing on a single subject allowed deep growth. If you look at the early photo shoots in my catalog, you’ll see a lot of emphasis on the structure of the bridge. When you look at my later shoots, you’ll find an evolution toward including more people and focusing more on the experience of the bridge, rather than just the bridge itself. This project profoundly shifted how I view objects I am photographing.
Lastly, for those who love the technical details, what equipment was used in the making of this exhibition?
The images were shot with several cameras, including a Leica Q2 Monochrom, Canon 5D Mark II and Mark IV, Sony RX100 and Sony Alpha 6000. The two 5Ds were my main cameras, but most of the more recent images were shot with the Leica. The other two cameras proved useful to have in my pocket when I was kayaking on the river or riding on the C&O Canal path for spur-of-the-moment captures. All of the images were printed with an Epson P800 printer on Epson Hot Press Natural paper, which provides really good shadow detail.
KEY BRIDGE and other exhibitions by Eric can be viewed on the MEG website here.
All images in the exhibition are available for purchase by contacting MEG at info@multipleexposuresgallery.com or 703.683.2205.
Click on images to expand. All images by Eric Johnson.