Bridge on the River Kwai, a photo from Kanchanaburi, Central

Photographer's Note

Kanchanaburi (กาญจนบุรี), Western Thailand – Bridge on the River Kwai

The Death Railway was build by prisoners of war in the 1940’s under Japanese control, connecting the Yangon of Burma (Myanmar), with Bangkok Thailand. The 415km railway’s construction claimed the lives of 116,000 people, including Thai, UK, American, Australian, New Zealand and Dutch soldiers.

It was certainly a sombre event, visiting the JEATH Death Museum and the local Military Cemetery. The original wooden bridge was bombed (as seen in the Alec Guinness multi academy ward winning movie), and swiftly replaced by this structure which was bombed again in the centre and was subsequently repaired.

I was astounded by the danger of walking across the structure, as you can see the centre is still a railway line and you are forced to leap up onto the sides of the ironwork to escape being run over. There is no footpath and many-a-tourist has become wedged between the awkward footings.

I liked the position of parallel lines and the solitary figure walking, it was impossible to photograph without people on it, it swarmed with hundreds of tourists.

My last B&W Thai image for a while.

A side on view of the structure can be seen here:

Dan Walsh – Bridge View

kiwi_explorer, MLINES, Floydian, triptych2003 has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

mfonda (891) 2007-06-19 20:20

Hi Matthew,

Great shot!
I like the head on POV, and the person walking adds good perspective.
Also, Effective use of black and white.
Nice work, thanks for sharing!

-Matt

Leilani (1385) 2007-06-19 20:32

Great great shot. I love symmetry. I'd possibly crop it even further though, only because the symmetry isn't quite perfect at the forefront. If that makes sense... a small slight step to the left I think would have fixed that I think. Great to see the bridge from the name sake novel. B&W really sets the mood too. TFS!

*did quick crop so you can see what I was referring to. only my opinion though, so I could be totally wrong :)

[workshop] [compare] +

kiwi_explorer (12209) 2007-06-19 20:35

Hi Matthew,
I noticed you're into B&W format now ... very interesting and demanding medium indeed. This composition is very good ... making the leading lines dominate the whole composition defines the viewer's focus. Good overall contrast too ... excellent work! tfs
Cheers,
Renier

Janice (4403) 2007-06-19 20:42

Hi Matt,
So this is the 'real' historical bridge. What a sad place this is. What terrible memories.
And your notes are interesting about what it is like now - and the tourists visiting it and walking on it so dangerously.

I knew a man who was imprisoned in Singapore during the war, and he NEVER spoke about it for 40 years, and then one night he just opened up and talked and talked to friends... so sad,

Thanks for sharing this Matt,
Janice

ribeiroantonio (22730) 2007-06-19 20:51

But it is the people that make the picture alive. I really like it because of that person. What would be the world without people? Is the bridge still in use? If yes, do you know how many trains a day crosses the bridge? It would be very interesting to know about it. To be honest, I do prefer the main posting for its large foreground and plenty of rail tracks. Well done.
Antonio

MLINES (12516) 2007-06-19 22:25

Hi Matt. Good to see your experimenting with B&W. they are very powerful. Good to see some of these places that i haven't seen as yet. tfs. Murray.

Dpbours (222) 2007-06-20 0:06

Hi Matthew,

I love the symmetry and I do think that the one guy walking there does add that bit of dynamics you'd hope for. Yep, I agree with black and white being a good choice!
Next to sombre, it must have been impressive to be there as well... Thanks for sharing!

Greetings, Dennis

Floydian (30970) 2007-06-20 4:54

Hi Matthew,
I have a picture from the same location, but this one has something extra, the man that walks away, it gives a very good touch to the location and the story behind it...really good.
The crop is okay by me, not much wrong about that....good work.
Regards, Henk

lewiz (1297) 2007-06-20 8:25

Hi Matthew,

I chose not to visit the Bridge on the River Kwai when I was nearby... I'd heard that after watching the film, it was a bit of a letdown.
This is a really great shot that makes me regret my decision... next time I'm in the area I'll have to take a look.
Very nice B&W conversion too... it could maybe do with a push into the light/highlight area to really get some good contrast though.

Thanks, Lewis.

Cormac (26565) 2007-06-20 11:13

After seeing the movie so many times in my youth this has become a kind of mythological place, and as such I even wondered if it existed in reality or just in movieland. Great shot, with the converging lines really drawing our eyes into the scene like a magnet. Great idea to have the person walking on the bridge, as it gives some scale to this. Excellent work!

triptych2003 (1534) 2007-06-25 19:41

hi matt

lines, symmetry, people.. you have all the ingredients of fine photography. i have this same photo (not on te tho) except from the other end of the bridge. the museum was indeed very moving and i came out angry at the barbarism and lack of humanity. the sole figure does add the dynamism you spoke of and i wish you well on your foray in the world of black and white.

JPlumb (3159) 2007-06-29 2:56

Hi Matt, this was my favourite movie when I was a kid. I knew a lot died making this bridge but I had no idea it was this many. Your shot is excellent. I have never seen a shot of the actual bridge, and like you I was a little amazed at the size of it. I had a vision of something an awful lot larger (probably as in Hollywood larger than life). Great lines in this shot, and having the guy in the centre does help provide a lot of perspective. This is the second time today I've had to say "I like this shot in black and white". Not normal for me, but what the heck.

Thanks, John

cam (9043) 2007-06-29 18:00

Hi Matthew.
A famous bridge,sadly so.
Good point of view .I like the person in the middle going through for the scale,and adding some life.
Dangerous crossing as you stated.
Good story.
Charles

Furachan (0) 2007-07-05 3:56

I dunno why but I am very much drawn to your BW work, Matthew. This is another nice example - well framed to emphasize the size and yes, the horror that surrounds it. I might even have thrown in a little sepia toning to confuse the time even more, you know... Might have a go at a WS t see...
All the best,
Francis

Bruno40 (6662) 2007-07-12 5:08

Matthew,
Good B&W work, excellnt POV and perspective. Adding a human gives sense of dimension.
You did a good job here.
TFS
Jorge

Morac (27725) 2008-03-02 14:26

Hello Matthew,

Great shot!
I like the head on POV, and the person walking adds good perspective.
Regards
Marc

tola_ch2004 (549) 2009-04-02 11:36

It is difficult to find a moment where lees people are on the bridge.
Nice picture.

In Cambodia, we also have many iron bridge and was build quite the same time of this bridge too.
http://www.trekearth.com/viewphotos.php?l=3&p=419969