Charleston, SC: Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge

Cable-stayed bridges have become more and more common in new designs in the US since the latter part of the twentieth century. They are economical for middle-length spans, that is, at the long end for cantilever bridges and the short end for suspension bridges. 

In addition they can be quite attractive, and the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge is, in my opinion, one of the nicest I've seen. It spans the Cooper River in South Carolina, connecting downtown Charleston with Mount Pleasant. 

I came across the Ravenel Bridge during a recent photo workshop, where I was assisting my friend, Annapolis photo-guru Dave Blecman. I drove some of the participants to Mount Pleasant for our first night's motel stay, and the Ravenel drew a collective OOOOOOO! from us as we approached it and drove across. 

Dave had previously scouted out this great spot for a night photo of the bridge, and the following night, we all braved mosquitos and other night-flying creatures to come away with dramatic photos like this one.