From earliest memories The Severn Bridge has always been a magical sight heading down the M4, from the first glimpse to staring up in wonder as you pass under the steel towers. It was a symbol of our family days out to the Forest of Dean, and the gateway to the mystical land of Wales.

I have photographed the bridge, and it’s newer brother The Prince of Wales Bridge just down river many times, and they never fail to be an interesting composition from any angle, with any film and any camera.

The original (and best!) was opened in 1964 linking Aust to Chepstow, spanning 2 miles above the River Severn and River Wye, and towers to a height of 136 metres making it visible from miles around.

From the English side there are a few different viewing angles - the rocky beach at Aust Cliff shows off the curve, and gets you close to the water at high tide - always check the tide times here, as it can make a massive difference to the shot. The mudflats spoil not only the composition, but also your shoes trying to navigate the mud to get a better angle!. Whereas the viewpoint in the Severn View Services gives a higher vantage point. I have a photo somewhere of my Nan and I here in the Eighties.

From the Welsh side at Beachley, there is a little car park directly underneath the Severn span of the bridge.

At night, the bridge creates a really interesting image from the slipway of the old ferry station, and well worth a trip down just for this shot. I did have to share the slipway on this particular night with a bunch of lads photographing their modified cars. I certainly would not have risked parking on the wet slipway with a 30 foot drop off to the pebble beach below.

Combine your favourite camera, the glorious Cinestill 800T and a great location, and it is pure magic!

As I said, I’ve shot many cameras down here and never get bored of it.

One thing this bridge has over the new one is the footway / cycle path on both sides offering great views of the river, and close ups of the bridge itself.

I remember the 1990’s bigger brother being built - it doesn’t have the childhood nostalgia of the original, but still offers a great subject matter for when you have exhausted the compositions of the original for the day. Only a short drive down to Severn Beach brings you to the longer, wider Second Severn Crossing - later named as The Prince of Wales Bridge snaking it’s way across the estuary.

More conveniently than the original bridge, here you have a wide tarmac path leading along the promenade under the bridge up to New Passage offering this interesting perspective.

To cross the bridge from here to get a shot the other side is not as simple as the other one, but worth the effort. This was taken from a small grassy area behind the village of Sudbrook.

I am sure to carry on photographing at these locations in the future.

On a side note, before the bridges were built, the only way to cross was by the Aust-Beachley ferry which I found rusting away in Chepstow one day…

The remains of the old Aust Ferry terminal still existed last time I visited, but were falling down and overgrown.

The Severn Bridges…

Buying ‘untested’ cameras!…