| Places to photograph; best time
of day/year to shoot; tips about shooting there: |
Lehigh Valley has seven covered bridges. Five of them, which
all cross Jordan Creek, are still used for automobile traffic
and are easy to access with a quick drive northwest of Allentown.
Guth's Bridge
At the junction of Iron Bridge Road and
Lapp Road. Good photography angles are hard to come by unless
you're willing to get your feet wet. A public park is on one
side of the bridge, which gives you unfettered access to that
shore (and a convenient place to park). However, on the same
side of the creek, across the road, is private property. The
other side of the creek has very little room to work on shore,
and is accessed only by climbing down a steep bank.
Wehr's Bridge
Located in Covered Bridge Park, between
River Road and Parkland Road. There's lots of room to work,
but the angles are uninspiring (unless, again, you get in the
water). There is a dam that could make a nice background subject,
but it's hard to get it in the frame. The park is also a decent
spot for bird photography, including woodpeckers and geese.
Rex's Bridge
At junction of Jordan Road and Horseshoe
Road. The angles are decent enough, but the bridge is rather
plain. Also, private residences border half the shore near the
bridge.
Geiger's Bridge
On Old Packhouse Road. Again, there's
limited room to work, but you can find some nice angles. One
side of the creek is a field of spring wildflowers, so you can
certainly do some nice work in May and June. Much of the property
is private, but there's a parking area and plenty of shoulder
space to work from on this very quiet road.
Schlicher's Bridge
On Trexler Game Preserve Road. Very nice
white bridge, with plenty of angles to work from. However, many
of the angles require you to stand in the road, and the road
is regularly used, so you should be wary of cars coming around
downhill curves on both sides of the bridge. Also, the sides
of the bridge have plenty of openings that allow light to pass
in, making it much easier to get interior detail on film.
Shoot any of the bridges at any time of year except in pre-snow
winter (all of the bridges except Wehr's Bridge are surrounded
by trees, which will be bare by the end of November). Also,
the light will be blocked by trees at sunrise and sunset, so
you'll need to shoot from mid-morning to late afternoon. Avoid
harsh light, because the trees will throw a lot of shadows,
and the inside of the covered bridges will lose all detail.
Also check out…
The old grist mill on Kernsville Road
just off of 309. It's dilapidated, and therefore good for rustic
images.
If you're interested in photographing captive wildlife, try
the Trexler
Lehigh Game Preserve on Trexler Game Preserve Road. It houses
bison, cats, birds, etc., in wilderness environments. Call 610-799-4171.
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