Bridge adventurer book presentation at Milford library

Photography interested Dave Frieder long before he climbed any of New York’s suspension bridges. And climb bridges he has, nearly all of the many bridges found in the New York and New Jersey Metropolitan area. Frieder also has knowledge of the design, structure, construction, history and background on the city’s bridges. And now he has a book of his bridge photos and knowledge, The Magnificent Bridges of New York City, about which he will speak, with a book signing at the Milford Community Room of Pike County Public Library on Saturday, Nov. 19, at 12:30 p.m.

Though not an engineer by training, Frieder has knowledge of suspension bridge design and the work of the wire rope cables that make them possible. He knows many of the factors involved in bridge construction, the varied features of each individual bridge and how they are put together to carry their enormous loads.

“My dad gave me a little Brownie camera with the old 127 film when we moved from Queens, NY to New Jersey,” explains Frieder. “Dad also encouraged me to try gymnastics. At first, I wasn’t especially crazy about that idea. But in time I found that I liked it.”

When just a child, he made his own darkroom for developing film from his own camera. After improving the darkroom, he purchased an enlarger that could be upgraded. After contacting the Ansel Adams gallery which put him in contact with Jeff Nixon, Ansel’s workshop assistant. After speaking with Nixon for a year, he took some workshops from him. Frieder met Ansel’s oldest granddaughter and a few days later Frieder was introduced to Ansel’s personal assistant, John Sexton. Now he owns a professional enlarger that can handle film up to 8x10 inches.

“I took a joint workshop with Sexton and Morley Baer. Though Baer praised my work, Sexton wasn’t as free with his praise. But that in turn made me work even harder. Morley told me I did beautiful work but that I had to focus on a subject, something that means a lot to me. I still thank John today for that constructive criticism.

“As my strength increased, I started to excel in gymnastics in high school. I became a bit addicted to it – that and the New York City area bridges. I credit my father as the one who got me started in gymnastics, photography and seeing the world around me through the lens of the camera.”

Frieder’s father pointed out the interesting photographic composition of the work of Ansel Adams. Over time Frieder spoke to many of the area’s bridge engineers as well as an assistant of Adams, all leading to his idea to photograph the bridges.

What made for a particularly good fit was Frieder’s gymnastic training and skills – that and the lack of a fear of heights. One detail that he learned – which may seem a bit counter-intuitive – is that the steeper the drape of a suspension bridge’s main cable, the greater the load that the bridge can carry.

New York City has 2,027 bridges scattered among its four island boroughs and the one borough, the Bronx. Those bridges include suspension bridges, cantilever bridges and small bridges over roadways or small water bodies.

Frieder would occasionally ran into trouble with the Peregrines who were defending their nests. Motorcycle helmets must be worn for head protection from attacks by these aerial predators. Visit Dave Frieder’s website to see more of his bridge photography at www.davefrieder.com.