Clat Adams Bicentennial Park
Clat Adams Bicentennial Park is a small riverfront park sitting perfectly between two very different bridges that cross the Mississippi River into Missouri. The Bayview Bridge is a modern cable-stayed bridge with 56 cables fanning out from two soaring towers. The Quincy Memorial Bridge is a classic steel truss from the 1930's. Having both in the same frame, one modern and geometric and the other heavy and industrial, creates incredible contrast when you pair them together in the same frame. The park faces west across the river, so sunset lines up directly behind the bridges and the water. That is the time to be here. The sky lights up behind the cable stays and the river picks up the colour. The Bayview Bridge also has LED lighting that comes on after dark, so blue hour and night photography both work well. The park has a cute gazebo and a decorative fountain that can add foreground interest, and boat ramp that gets you closer to the waterline.The area around the park is industrial with railroad tracks and truck traffic nearby so even when the park is empty it doesn't always feel like a peaceful shooting location. This section of the river is prone to flooding, so check the local conditions before making the trip. (Quincy, Illinois, USA)
