Covered Bridge along Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive

This image is of the covered bridge on the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. The Drive is usually closed to vehicular traffic when unsafe conditions exist, so I recommend parking at the first pull off at the entrance to the Scenic Drive off M-109 at the end near the toilets (which are open year round). Rejoin the road and walk in the same direction as traffic would go. The bridge is about a 1 mile walk from here. If the drive is open to vehicles, drive the mile and then park on the pull off on the far side of the bridge and walk back through to shoot. Either by foot or by car, the GPS coordinates will take you to the exact location of where I stood.

Late April and early May are the best months to photograph the covered bridge as the trees will no longer be bare and the leaves will be early in their growth. These months are also when the glacial hills of the area are abundant with wild leeks (aka ramps) which provides additional color to the scene.

For similar lighting conditions, visit during late-afternoon when the bright light pans onto the forest making the leaves look electric chartreuse. It is also beautiful to capture during morning and night time. As evening approaches, the bridge will be in deeper shadows, giving a much moodier look and potentially requiring bracketing (i.e., taking and blending multiple exposures).

Upon arrival, if the drive is open to vehicles please be sure to pull off in a visible area. There is parking on the far side of the bridge.

Position the bridge according to the rule of thirds — in my case both in the left third and the bottom third.

Aim for the close roadside or railing to enter the image in the corner for strong leading lines.

Using a mid focal distance (56mm looked best to me) lets the bridge structure take up almost half of the image while still following technical composition rules. An aperture of f/5 will allow the bridge to be in focus while slightly softening the focus on the rest of the image, which was further softened in post-processing.

The entire Scenic Drive is a treat to hike in the late spring! It's a little over 7 miles, but it's easy walking and you'll see all the iconic drive views with much less traffic than when everything opens (usually early-mid May).