Official photographer for 'Big Lift' project celebrates gig of a lifetime

Standing on a suspension bridge almost 50 metres above the ocean, in a torrential rainstorm, camera in hand, is just another day at the office for photographer Dale Wilson.

He was hired by Halifax Harbour Bridges to be the official photographer for the ongoing Big Lift project, which involves replacing the deck of the 60-year-old Macdonald Bridge that spans Halifax harbour piece by piece.

• Macdonald Bridge repair plan unveiled

The massive $150-million undertaking, which began in early 2015, is scheduled to be completed by the end of January or early February.

Wilson, who was required to get the same safety training as the workers, said he marks every milestone of the project by getting up on the bridge and close to the action.

"Sometimes too close, actually," he admits.

A shot in the dark

Weather conditions can be "pretty testing," he says. The majority of the work is done at night, so lighting can be a challenge. 

Wilson avoids using a flash on his camera because he doesn't want to startle the workers.

Instead, he's had to adapt to using the available light, which can either come from the lights the workers bring in or the glow of sparks from a steel cutter.

Anticipating the best moments

"It's a cool gig, I gotta tell ya," says Wilson, who has been working as a professional photographer for around 30 years.

"I've done a lot of fun stuff ... but, locally, this is right up there."

The first few nights on the bridge were spent learning the sequence of events so he could anticipate what would happen next.

Then, Wilson said, he would position himself and "just wait it out."

A photographer has to be patient to capture the best moments.

Tailgate parties

Halifax Harbour Bridges says it's only the second time that a suspension bridge has had its spans replaced while keeping the bridge open to traffic during the day. The first time was the Lions Gate Bridge in Vancouver more than a decade ago.

Wilson says it has been "an amazing project to watch unfold."

One of his favourite moments came at the very beginning of the project, when the first section of the bridge was put in place on the Dartmouth side.

"There were tailgate parties going on and the community was out," he said. "You could see how impressive it was. The bridge had a big hole in it."