When photographed both the Golden Gate Bridge and the Brooklyn Bridge are admired for their architecture. While scrolling through pictures on Flickr it became apparent that the Golden Gate Bridge is admired for its color and how it appears in the bay. On this specific website there were no photographs that were taken on the bridge itself, always from a distance. On the other hand, there were many more photographs of the Brooklyn Bridge from a pedestrian’s point of view, the many different cables on the bridge create very interesting photographs. From looking at the photographs of the two bridges, the Golden Gate Bridge appeared to symbolize a gateway to either the bay or the ocean on the other side. When looking at the Brooklyn Bridge it seemed that the connection of two important cities was the main focus.
The Brooklyn Bridge, having opened in 1883, was very sturdy for its time. Roebling had designed the bridge to be stronger than it needed to be because the science of bridge building had not been figured out yet. I think that if the science had been better during the developing we would not have the iconic bridge, with many cables and huge towers, that we do today. In comparison to the Brooklyn Bridge, the Golden Gate Bridge is just as breathe taking but much sleeker. The opening for the Golden Gate was just over 50 years later, and engineers began to have a greater understanding of bridges. It was designed to be more flexible, to withstand the wind it would encounter. Had the bridge been built at the same time as the Brooklyn Bridge it is possible that the design would have been bulkier and not as iconic.
Both bridges have had minimal changes through the years, none of them effecting the overall appearance. By both New York City and San Francisco deciding to keep their historical images they are appreciating their city’s past, and our country’s past. Even being on opposite sides of the country both cities are places of innovation and change, but they know it is important to celebrate history and to be proud of what came first.
You brought up some great things about the look of the bridges in photos. I luckily have been on both bridges. Not that I know anything crazy about them since I’ve been to both. I always thought that both bridges are so iconic. When you see them in person they almost don’t seem real. I also wonder when it comes to how they built them if the Golden Gate was built to take earthquakes better than the Brooklyn because California is more likely to have one.
I love that you mentioned the why The Golden Gate Bridge is portrayed in long shots. I was thinking it was shot like that due to it being well over four times the length of the Brooklyn Bridge, resulting in it being shot to show the true length of it. On that notion I feel that the Brooklyn Bridge is shot with NYC behind it to show the old with the new. Whereas The Golden Gate Bridge you can’t quite get it to fit in the shot while still getting a bit of San Francisco.
I to found your observation to be extremely interesting about how the Brooklyn Bridge photos seemed to show the connection of the cities where as the Golden Gate Bridge was depicting a gateway to either the Bay or San Francisco.