Saumur Bridge (Pont Cessart)

About Saumur Bridge (Pont Cessart)

Saumur Bridge (Pont Cessart) is an arched masonry bridge stretching out over the Loire River. This mediveal bridge dates back to the late 1700s and features twelve low stone arches and stonework that has weathered to a pale grey that goes close to white under strong sun. The river under it is wide and shallow, and sometimes in drier months sandbars appear, so the arches sit above a mix of moving water and sand. On the south bank the town comes right to the riverbacks with a stone wall and the Château on the ridge above the rooftops. The island side has a grassy back and space to lookout over the whole bridge as it spans the river. From the island you get the whole series of arches across the frame with the town behind. You can experiment with using a telephoto lens to the stack arches, roof lines, and château into layers. When the water is low you can walk right out onto the sandbars and pick up a reflection at the same height as the arches. The bridge runs roughly north to south, so morning light falls on the upstream face and evening light on the downstream one, with the sun going down over the river off the western side. Walking out on the bridge gives you the view both ways, though is usually traffic steady and the footway is narrow so you may not have a lot of space or time to experiment with these compositions. (Saumur, Maine-et-Loire, France)

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