The earliest views of Bare Island emphasised it as a small rugged island, and the current form of the island still permits an understanding of the island's original size and shape. Once it became fortified and connected by a bridge to the mainland it remained a popular object for photography, with most photographs of the island either emphasising the western face with large expanses of concrete and loopholed walls, or the view down the bridge towards the jumble of concrete, rocks and grass.