Tulsa State Fair Blue Ribbon Winner

You first saw this photograph in an earlier post but that was before it won 1st Place at the 2011 Tulsa State Fair in the Adult Amateur Division for Color Photographs, Commercial Class. Needless to say, I was ecstatic to learn of my ribbon and I still find it hard to believe that one of my photographs actually won.

The picture, taken earlier this summer on an evening shoot with a friend, is from an old section of Route 66 located in Sapulpa, Oklahoma. The steel bridge dates from the early 1900’s and a number of them remain throughout the state. This one is still open to traffic. Many are not. The timing with the car, a police car no less, at the opposite end of the bridge worked out perfectly. It was not planned. I focused on using the pavement sign as a foreground element. Nothing more. Waiting for a car to appear wasn’t on my mind. When he approached I was in the middle of the road and in the middle of a long exposure. I waited for what seemed like an eternity for the shutter to close. Once it did I grabbed my gear and headed to the side of the road to let him pass. He didn’t even have to slow down. The timing was perfect. When my friend saw the image later he said I had a winner. I wasn’t so sure but I’m very happy he was right!

Old Steel Bridge on Route 66 – NIKON D90/16.0-85.0 mm f/3.5-5.6 – 16 mm, f/11@2″, ISO 200