Gerald Desmond Bridge Replacement Project

I was called to work on the Gerald Desmond Bridge Replacement Project last May and every so often they reach out to ask me to install various cameras at selected sites to record the process of building the “Century Bridge.”

This latest time lapse depicts 30 days of work on the pile caps. The piles are the underground bridge supports. The pile caps are built on top of the piles and are the structures the overhead roadway will eventually attach to.

The challenge of this particular time lapse was locating and installing the two camera systems. They were attached to two temporary platforms attached to two temporary light poles overlooking the yard where the work took place. Double-strapped for safety, these custom built mounting platforms rock!

The poles were in excess of 40′ in height and being temporary, they swayed during the shoot. No problem as the back and forth movement was addressed during post-production. The software tool is called warp stabilization. The software is After Effects. Great name, eh?

During the shoot, (January 5th thru February 5th) it was rainy, wet and foggy and hot, dry and windy. My systems had to work perfectly throughout these conditions and once installed could only be checked once to ensure the solar panels were recharging the systems. These rock solid systems were custom built and modified but I prefer to err on the side of caution and check on them when I can. This time it involved scheduling a bucket truck to lift me up and I’m fortunate these clients see the value in knowing that all is working properly. A small additional cost for a big payoff.

I brought two replacement batteries with me, (at $210.00 a pop) but didn’t have to use them. After running a voltage check I could tell that all was working as it should. This of course made my clients very happy they chose me to provide time lapse photography services.

The completed very short film.

Thanks for reading.

Michael