Storm on the horizon, a photo from Tyne and Wear, England

Photographer's Note

This is one more view of the Gateshead Millennium Bridge. In my previous upload HERE I have showed you how the bridge may be open for larger boats to pass underneath it. That photo was not very popular but I am very proud of it for the reasons I described in the note underneath it. Here to illustrate better the construction of the bridge I show you a view from a balcony of the BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art. Note that Newcastle-upon-Tyne is actually north of the river (here to the right) while south of the river there is already another town called Gateshead.
Since the camera is pointing down and it is a wide angle lens, I have here a lot of distortion which I couldn’t get straight.
In this theme I have gathered all my photos of this bridge.

Gateshead Millennium Bridge
The Gateshead Millennium Bridge is a pedestrian and cyclist tilt bridge spanning the River Tyne between Gateshead's Quays arts quarter on the south bank, and the Quayside of Newcastle upon Tyne on the north bank. The award-winning structure was conceived and designed by architect Wilkinson Eyre and structural engineer Gifford. The bridge is sometimes referred to as the 'Blinking Eye Bridge' or the 'Winking Eye Bridge' due to its shape and its tilting method. In terms of height, the Gateshead Millennium Bridge is slightly shorter than the neighbouring Tyne Bridge, and stands as the sixteenth tallest structure in the city.
The bridge was lifted into place in one piece by the Asian Hercules II, one of the world's largest floating cranes, on 20 November 2000. It was opened to the public on 17 September 2001, and was dedicated by Queen Elizabeth II on 7 May 2002. The bridge cost £22m to build.
Six 45 cm (18 in) diameter hydraulic rams (three on each side, each powered by a 55 kW electric motor) rotate the bridge back on large bearings to allow small ships and boats (up to 25 m (82 ft) tall) to pass underneath. The bridge takes as little as 4.5 minutes to rotate through the full 40° from closed to open, depending on wind speed. Its appearance during this manoeuvre has led to it being nicknamed the "Blinking Eye Bridge".
The bridge has operated reliably since construction, opening to allow river traffic to pass. It also opens periodically for sightseers and for major events such as the Northumbrian Water University Boat Race and the Cutty Sark Tall Ships' Race. One of the principal requirements for opening the bridge is to allow access to HMS Calliope where Royal Navy patrol boat HMS Example is based.
The construction of the bridge won the architects Wilkinson Eyre the 2002 Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Stirling Prize. and won Gifford the 2003 IStructE Supreme Award. In 2005, the bridge received the Outstanding Structure Award from International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering (IABSE).
Tilt times for the bridge are displayed both on the bridge itself, and also on a page on the Gateshead Council website.

holmertz, cornejo, Porteplume, worldcitizen, ikeharel, Royaldevon, alvaraalto, PiotrF, Didi, danos, macjake, adramad, rychem, Graal, COSTANTINO trouve(nt) cette note utile

Critiques | Translate

mjw364 (1466) 2016-04-07 11:37

Hello Mariusz

I have walked over this bridge my self! I'm guessing your POV id from an upper level of the Baltic art gallery?

as far as I can see I don't see the distortion - this is just a well composed and well taken photograph crafted with your usual attention to clarity and depth. Fine work.

Mike

lousat (140082) 2016-04-07 11:47

Hi Mariusz,a different POV,this time with a long and very rich view too,a great composition with the bridge architechtures so curious and original,all under a nice cloudy sky.Have a nice evening and thanks,Luciano

Tue (93606) 2016-04-07 11:53

Hello Mariusz,
Wow, what a great view over Newcastle from a wonderful vantage point. I really like the two bridges as well as the cityscape behind them, that adds some pleasant and natural colours. Thanks for sharing!
Lars

holmertz (103762) 2016-04-07 12:05

Hello Mariusz,
This is a beautifully designed bridge and there seems to be lots of other interesting buildings in the vicinity, showing that Newcastle now is far from the black, dusty and dull city I think it used to be (some 40-50 years ago). It's a very interesting photo with a number of fine features from a day with good light in spite of the clouds.
Kind regards,
Gert

cornejo (61504) 2016-04-07 12:49

Mariusz Witaj, very good view of this interesting and beautiful city, very well composed and captured in this good and beautiful photography. An interesting image with good sharpness, depth, light, color and quality. Very good and nice work perfectly realized, my congratulations my friend. Thanks for sharing this interesting work.

Good night and happy weekend.
All the best from southern Spain.
Angel.

Porteplume (4036) 2016-04-07 13:03

Hello Mariusz,

Maybe something we shouldn't miss? Such a marvellous point of view here...
It is very nice to get so much sharpness on so many details of the city architecture. It would be a great postcard and I mean this in the right way because I just love postcards... :)

Friendly greetings - Viviane

worldcitizen (16236) 2016-04-07 13:20

Hello Mariusz,
This wide and high POV is great. We can see the entire bridge within the context of its surroundings, and get a glimpse of buildings along the water, too. The people look so tiny, and the whole scene is very attractive. I also looked at your previous photo. It's nice as well, although I personally prefer this one better. :-)

jemaflor (148398) 2016-04-07 23:00

Hi Mariusz,
Good POV, interesting modern architecture for this bridge well placed on your view, good light and photogenic reflections on water,tfs.

Royaldevon (86598) 2016-04-08 4:10

Hello Mariusz,

It's a fine photograph of the bridge and its reflection, anchoring the scene, as we move down the river to appreciate its setting and succeeding bridges.
It's a very well composed and executed shot.

I think you mean by distortion, the slope of the bank on the left which, if you hadn't mentioned, I would hardly have noticed. I don't think it affects the appreciation or the enjoyment of the photograph at all.

My warm regards,
Bev :-)
Thanks for your email to which I have responded.

Sergiom (117241) 2016-04-08 6:18

Bonjour Mariusz,

Ils sont vraiment très beaux ces ponts sur le canal.On donne vraiment libre cours aux architectes et aux ingénieurs dans cette région. Superbe point de vue et très belle netteté.

Amicalement

Serge

emka (158988) 2016-04-08 15:11

Cześc Mariusz, tym razem most dla pieszych. fantastyczna konstrukcja. A dalej inne ciekawe mosty. BALTIC centre? Ciekawe jest tez cos po lewej stronie. Fajna kompozycja, ale ostrośc jest po prostu niesamowita. Widac tyle szczegółów. Super zdjecie.

Pozdrawiam Małgorzata

alvaraalto (42912) 2016-04-09 11:18

Hello Mariusz,
This picture gives us a beautiful view of this gorgeous bridge and its surrounding.
A lovely silhouette if the city and another intriguing construction on the left side.
I like it very much.
Groet Rob

Fis2 (172115) 2016-04-09 12:57

Czesc Mariusz!
Jak wiesz lubie mosty i to czysto z powodu wyksztalcenia.
Ten most jest niesamowita konstrukcja.
Maja inzynierowie pomysly.
Tutaj wyraznie widze wykres naprezen.
Ten w glebi tez piekna zapewne nitowana stalowa konstrukcja.
Ladny kadr i kolorystyka.
Milej niedzieli.
Krzysztof

PiotrF (56210) 2016-04-09 16:33

Czesc Mariusz
Swietne miejsce z ktorego zrobiles zdjecie, w calosci pokazany most i okolica choc poprzedni kadr pozostanie niedoscigniony.
Super jakosc , z przyjemnoscia oglada sie i czyta
pozdrawiam
Piotr

Didi (61591) 2016-04-09 17:05

Hi Mariusz
Very nice dominant point of view and interesting perspective of the river
It's possible to give more contrast for a more dramatic sky
Best regards

Nicou (193814) 2016-04-10 0:42

Hlelo

quelle vue avec le reflet sur le plan d'eau quelle forme ce pont tout en rond quelle architecture et ce ciel la ville en fond superbe décor.
Bravo et amitié
Nicou

Silvio1953 (223141) 2016-04-10 8:53

Ciao Mariusz, great view of fantastic bridge, superb sky, wonderful colors, excellent clarity and splendid light, very well done, my friend, ciao Silvio

danos (110407) 2016-04-11 1:16

Witaj Mariusz,
very nice and clever the design of the Gateshead Millennium bridge that connect the two banks of the river.Goes beyond the standard we have for bridges,vertically joining the banks of a river.Great the design with fantasy and modern construction.Well done.

Regards,Danos

macjake (98544) 2016-04-11 3:25

Hi Mariusz
why your previous bridge photo wasn't popular is a complete mystery to me! I loved it, it was a very cool and funky scene with the bridge elevated in the blue hour.

this one is just as sweet, because i love the wide angle look and feel to it.

that silver building on the left is looking quite modern and funky too, and we can see the tiny people walking across on the bridge in the fg - what could be better than that?

add in the clouds, and the city on the right, this is a winner for sure. just kinda strange how the river is so brown!

awesome shot
cheers
craig

adramad (73524) 2016-04-11 10:26

Hello Mariusz.
Panoramic pride of this city that looks very nice, with modern buildings not too high and with a variety of shades of color, but what really catches the eye the succession of magnificent bridges, especially this ultramodern we see in the foreground, set is a view to enjoy.
A magnificent colorful which gives the image a lot of chromatic wealth.
Very good management of lighting and very good sharpness.
Well done. I like it.
I wish you a nice week.
Best wishes.
Luis.

rychem (72187) 2016-04-11 22:17

Bardzo atrakcyjny ten most i doskonałe zdjecie, swietnie pokazana, bardzo ciekawa konstrukcja, doskonale skomponowane
pozdrawiam Ryszard

Graal (103040) 2016-04-12 3:04

Czesc,
niezwykla konstrukcja tego mostu. Fajne ujecie dwoch w jednym kadrze. Miejsce atrakcyjne dla turystow i nie tylko. Dobry strzal z dobrego POV. Ladna prezentacja.
Milego dnia.
Aleksander

abmdsudi (95869) 2016-04-12 23:42

Hi Mariusz
Excellent pov forces us to fully concentrate on the the main features with excellent detail, colours, contrast and bit of warm light to vigourise the effect.
I think you have done you best with this illustration, Well done, Congrats,
Best regards

Cricri (176) 2016-04-13 11:22

Hi Mariusz
Tout bon le POV, l'architecture moderne du pont en forme de courbe, doux reflets sous un ciel nuageux qui envahi la ville , super capture et présentation
Belle soirée a vous trois :-)
cricri

berek (50518) 2016-05-09 20:17

Dear Mariusz,
They are really beautiful these bridges on the canal.On really gives free rein to architects and engineers in this region. Stunning views and beautiful clarity.
Greetings.
Burak

COSTANTINO (117940) 2016-09-02 2:19

Hello dear friend and have a nice time
this photo is magnificent presenting
the mairacle of architecture with both
bridges you captured it almost
perfectly
regards
Costantino