The Bridges of Madison County

October 24, 2024

I had the opportunity to complete an assignment yesterday that I've wanted to do for a long time. I have now photographed all eleven of Kentucky's covered bridges. My inspiration for this comes from one of my all time favorite movies, The Bridges of Madison County, which was based on the 1992 book by Robert James Waller. Yes, I know it was a chic-flic but it was also a movie that treated and portrayed photography correctly and realistically. 

In the movie, Clint Eastwood plays the character of National Geographic photographer Robert Kincaid (who is a fictional character and never actually worked for National Geographic). Eastwood, who also directed the movie, paid close attention to the details of a photographer. The movie was set in the summer of 1965, and Kincaid was a freelance photographer out of Bellingham, Washington. He was in Iowa to document covered bridges for the Geographic. He kept his Kodachrome slide film in a cooler or a refrigerator to keep it cool. He scouted out his photos during the day but then went back when the light was good at sunset and sunrise to actually get the real stuff. And he shot with a Nikon F series camera. 

There are so many movies, even today, that portray photography wrong. The one that makes me cringe is when I see a press conference in the movies and the photographers are using a flash. I'm sure they do it for the audio/visual effect, but trust me, no seasoned photographer would ever use a flash at a press conference!

There are so many things about Robert Kincaid that are relatable to me. For one thing, we're both freelance photographers making a living from one assignment to the next. Although I usually go nonstop, there are still different times of the year when work dries up for a few weeks. Being a freelancer is not for the impatient, faint-of-heart, or people who can't manage money. Secondly, I related to him because he was constantly traveling. As a National Geographic photographer, he got to travel all over the world, while I mainly crisscross the state of Kentucky. Even for this assignment, which came from Kentucky Living Magazine, I traveled to eight different Kentucky counties to document these bridges. Traveling so much can get old at times, but for the most part, I enjoy seeing our beautiful state. At the time of this writing, I've been to 117 of Kentucky's 120 counties. And I'm planning a road trip in the near future to the far reaches of Western Kentucky to get the remaining three. 

In the book, Kincaid says he's "The Last Cowboy." I don't think I'm the last cowboy, but I sure do enjoy doing what I do!

-30- 

Photo by Tim Webb The covered bridge at Goddard in Fleming County is by-far the most picturesque, with the Goddard Methodist Church and cemetery in the background.

Walcott Covered Bridge in Bracken County.

Photo by Tim Webb Photo by Tim Webb Ringos Mill Covered Bridge in Fleming County.

Several years ago I found out that I had a half brother that I never knew about. He died in July 2019 and was brought from Ohio to be buried in South Shore, Kentucky in Greenup County. On the way home that afternoon I drove past Bennett's Mill Covered Bridge and took this picture. I titled it, The Day We Laid Shane to Rest.  

Oldtown Covered Bridge in Greenup County.

The Dover Covered Bridge in Mason County is in the poorest condition of Kentucky's eleven bridges.

 Johnson Creek Covered Bridge in Robertson County. Graffiti and carvings are a popular thing to do at all of the bridges, even dating back to the 1800s, when many of the bridges were built. 

Photo by Tim Webb Photo by Tim Webb Colville Covered Bridge in Bourbon County. 

Cabin Creek Covered Bridge in Lewis County.

Photo by Tim Webb Photo by Tim Webb Photo by Tim Webb Photo by Tim Webb A company from Vermont that specializes in restoring covered bridges is currently working to restore the Grange City Covered Bridge in Fleming County.

The last cowboy Robert Kincaid and Francesca in front of the Roseman Bridge.

 

 


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