Musings On Photography

Today, I walked. I just set out without direction, without a plan, without any thought beyond "I have to keep moving." And I ended up here.

The Ben Frankin Bridge has always been one of my favorites - if not my absolute favorite - landmark in Philadelphia. I think that part of it stems from the project that I made in 12th grade physics, where we made models of bridges out of balsa wood, and competed to see how much weight they could hold before breaking apart (my bridge came in 3rd in the state).

Then there was the elective course that I took as a senior in college on the evolution of structural engineering and the relationship to how bridges are built. That's where I became familiar with and fascinated with the Golden Gate Bridge, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, and of course, the Ben Franklin Bridge. I learned about the architectural and aesthetic challenges that the architects designing those bridges faced. I also learned about the profound social and economic impacts that new bridges had on the communities that used them.

I honestly think that in another life, I was a civil engineer or something, because to this day, I let out a little gasp every time I see it, and my eyes are locked onto my bridge. The Ben Franklin. It reminds me of home. It reminds me of where I've been, and where I'm going next.