Newbury Town Bridge at Dusk.

Long Exposure at Dusk.

I decided to replicate a shot that I took nearly a year and a half ago. Perhaps my favourite subject – canals, and my favourite style – long exposure. Plus, a pub into the bargain!

This is a shot of Newbury Town Bridge, taken from the bottom of the lock, on the off (or non-towpath) side. In the “Blue Hour”, we get this lovely rich blue colour.

Because it is not entirely dark, I need to use a small aperture to increase the exposure time. The small aperture will ensure the maximum possible focal range. It also creates the atmospheric “starring” of the lights. The long exposure smooths the water. There is quite a flow here, plus tonight was fairly windy, which was also creating ripples on the water.

The pub on the left before Newbury Town Bridge is the “Lock, Stock & Barrel”. The white bridge takes the towpath over one of the two mill streams referred to in the photograph of Newbury’s West Mills Swing Bridge. The stream from the other former mill rejoins the canal from the right.

The road over the bridge is now semi-pedestrianised. During the day, vehicular traffic is banned. However, come the evening rush hour, it is a different matter!

There is a similar photograph of Newbury Town Bridge taken in 1955 (from the other side of the lock) on the Francis Frith website. The old industrial buildings on the right of the canal in that image have now been replaced by the modern flats seen in today’s picture, although the white building nearest the bridge remains.

Photograph Details:

• Taken: 9 Apr 2017
• Camera: Canon 5D MkIII
• Lens: Canon EF 24-70mm 1:2.8 L II USM
• Focal Length 24mm
• F/11
• 30 Sec
• ISO 100