Steve's Photoblog
Hogback Covered Bridge Interior
Posted by Steve Rice (Olympia, United States) on 22 October 2009 in Architecture and Portfolio.
This interior view shows the complicated looking Town Lattice truss structure. Actually, this lattice design was invented with simplicity and, therefore, cost savings in mind. The truss members were lighter and could be more easily handled. They required no fancy joinery but were simply pinned together. So, less skilled labor could be employed to build them. In this case, notice that the lattice is sandwiched between Queen Post trusses (the long diagonal piece that flattens out up above).
These Town Lattice trusses look nothing like the Howe trusses which were popular in Oregon when the covered bridges there were being built. As you will recall, the Howe truss is simple and strong. However, the members are fairly massive and do require some skilled joinery.
Part of the Bridges of Madison County series.
Dulcie from Danville, CA, United States
Lovely patterns...like seeing the internal structure.
Now I am confused again...just when i was sure these Bridges were NOT in Oregon, it seems they are.
I will have to Google Madison County, in Or and see what's up.
22 Oct 2009 6:16am
@Dulcie: Madison County is in Iowa.
Ana Lúcia from Leiria, Portugal
The lighting, lines and perspective are incredible, nice one.
22 Oct 2009 6:49am
Monique from Koh Samui, Thailand
You don't only take great photo's of these covered bridges but you've also got an amazing knowledge! I love the pattern of these trusses and you've created an excellent depth in the photo.
22 Oct 2009 6:53am
zOOm from Paris, France
Nice mono, very graphic shot Steve ! Nice presentation. It suits very well this architecture. Vintage !
22 Oct 2009 8:11am
k@ from Paris, France
Like a ladder lying on her side... Great criss-crossing boards & lines*
22 Oct 2009 8:52am
MrsAmber from West Wickham, United Kingdom
Great pattern and repetition with the wood..a good close crop has made this very good!
22 Oct 2009 9:12am
Alex from Barcelona, Spain
Soberbia perspectiva, el cruze de lineas es genial junto a esas tan buenas texturas.
Saludos.
22 Oct 2009 9:44am
bekkah from Pennsylvania, United States
I love the pattern here, excellent choice for b&w :)
22 Oct 2009 11:26am
Ravi from Bangalore, India
Nice shot. The architecture looks great and white dust everywhere gives it a vintage touch.
22 Oct 2009 11:28am
dj.tigersprout from New York City, United States
beautiful soft light and details!!
22 Oct 2009 2:36pm
Viewfinder from Bradenton, FL, United States
This series is not only fun to watch unfold, but also informational and instructive in simple engineering principles (like queen truss, lattice & the nuances of both).
22 Oct 2009 2:55pm
Kiki from Ambert, Puy de Dôme, France
What a mess of boards !
Thank you for the technical explanations !
22 Oct 2009 3:43pm
Don from spokane, United States
I like this detailed image of the trusses and your explanation of the differences which is very informative. A fine post!
22 Oct 2009 4:09pm
RPepper from Brooklyn, United States
Beautiful shot. Love the perspective and the graffiti you captured. Great lines. Great photo!
22 Oct 2009 4:39pm
mo.langel from Courtelary, Switzerland
Beautiful shot! I like the soft B&W and details!
22 Oct 2009 5:49pm
PD from Overland Park, Kansas, United States
Looks like sturdy construction!! nice shot
22 Oct 2009 6:56pm
Amanda from Jersey City, United States
I agree with the other posts--B&W was the perfect choice for this shot.
22 Oct 2009 7:26pm
jeff (aka dogilicious) from Millerstown, PA, United States
That is quite a structure. Nice frame.
22 Oct 2009 10:03pm
Michael from Shell village, United Kingdom
That's a pretty strong construction Steve, and your shot shows us all the details. Cool composition
22 Oct 2009 10:37pm
Steven from Chicagoland, United States
I love the repeating pattern of the lattice trusses which are highlighted nicely with this choice of perspective. As far as strength and durability, it almost looks like "overkill."
22 Oct 2009 10:53pm
Ajay from Pune, India
After all, it is this complicated design that keeps the bridge standing for a longer time. Right?
23 Oct 2009 12:58am
@Ajay: I'm not so sure that is the reason. In the case of the Oregon covered bridges, they are subject to much more rain than those in Iowa. It's deterioration due to rain and insects that is the bane of wooden bridges.
bluechameleon from Vancouver, Canada
Interesting pattern in the structure and it's great how it catches the light. Nice shot.
23 Oct 2009 3:41am
Bill Brown from California, United States
This is a beautiful capture of the interior details of the bridge and it does look complicated. B&W, great choice.
23 Oct 2009 3:46am
Paco Díaz from Palma de Mallorca, Spain
I like very much this shot showing the ingenious and simple architecture of the bridge, and also the wrintings that yoou spoke of in the last photo.
23 Oct 2009 9:27am
