Dark Side of the Bridge

Dark Side of the Bridge

In Photography by Darrin Ballman

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Naperville, Illinois is a beautiful city, and along the river, there’s a wonderful variety of areas to photograph. I saw this covered bridge that crosses over the DuPage River and loved how distinctly different the view was from either side. One was well lit; the other was very dark. I wasn’t planning on photographing anything that night, but brought the camera along anyway. It was meant to be a quick stroll around the river, but I saw the bridge, and even though the other side was dark, I thought I would wander across and see what it looked like.

I also look at “being creative” in that same way. A conscious decision. People often think because I “enjoy” photography that I’m constantly carrying my camera around “excited” to snap all I see. In reality, that couldn’t be further from the truth. I have friends—both hobbyists and professionals—who are much more like that … and they’re great at it. I envy that at times and, for years, felt a little guilty for not being constantly excited to run around and photograph.

It’s actually a lot of “work” for me to go out and take photos. I have to consciously make the decision. It doesn’t matter how “cool” the place or subject matter is.

What I have learned is, if I do make that decision to look around me and start the act of photographing, more often than not, something comes alive, and I start discovering scenes I do want to photograph.

I remember that evening in Naperville, almost deciding to head back to the hotel, but instead choosing to walk across the bridge. I snapped a few photos that evening, but this is the one I really enjoy. It reminds me that often it takes making a conscious decision to initiate possibilities, putting those possibilities into action that otherwise may never be realized.

To view more of Darrin’s photography, please visit darrinballman.com

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Darrin Ballman

Darrin is pretty much what you might expect to get when you take a native Californian and raise him in the Midwest. Essentially that means he’s pretty laid back, prefers low humidity and ocean breezes, but has a Midwestern accent (as he’s been told). For nearly three decades, Darrin has been focused within the worlds of photography and wine. His wine experiences in California and Ohio have included sales, importing and as a sommelier. Photography has led him from capturing “just about anything people related” to in recent years, exploring the improvisational and documenting what he calls photographic terroir. He resides in the Cincinnati area when not visiting his daughters in California or is off photographing somewhere.
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