June 18 - June 21, 2013. Copachuncho, Bolivia.
"Duke/CU Bridge Fiesta"
After finishing up with the University of Michigan team I was eager to reunite with my University of Colorado Boulder crowd. They had a week left to finish their bridge and I would be coming back to them right as they were getting ready to set the decking, always a good photogenic opportunity.
I spent the next few days capturing as many different angles of the bridge construction through timelapse photography as I could. I needed some good filler material for the video project and this was perfect. I had solved my electricity problem by hiking into the nearby town and paying an old lady to let me use her outlets. On the night before the celebration I camped out at the construction site, a good 30 minute walk from the church we were sleeping in, so I could capture timelapses of the moon passing over the completed bridge. It was cold and I lost my memory card in the dirt at one point, but I came away with some very beautiful shots as it was nearly a full ‘super’ moon.
On the morning of the celebration I was able to sit down for an interview with a local mason, Emeterio, to talk about his experience working with the CU engineering team, his thoughts on life in the country and how the bridge would affect the community. The celebration was fun with lots of food, chicha and dancing. I was running around like a beheaded chicken to capture video and photos, not always an easy task with so much happening all at once.
We finished up the evening with a bucket of chicha on the bridge before loading our things into a couple taxis and bidding our newfound friends farewell. I decided I would join the team for a few days in the Santa Cruz region since some of the group wanted to get down into the jungle for a change.
Photos: Duke/CU bridge completion
Timelapse: Shadows over el puente
Timelapse: Puente at night