Category: Waterfront Park

Sunset on the Ohio River Bridges

Ohio River Bridges Project Sunset June 5, 2013
Ohio River Bridges Project Sunset June 5, 2013

Click on the image to enlarge it in a separate window

Last night I decided to head down to the waterfront and shoot the Ohio River Bridges at sunset. The weather had been perfect all day and the forecast looked like there would be some clouds in the western sky around sunset. When I arrived at around 8:00 PM the sky was hazy and the clouds were still off to the west. I shot for a few minutes from Waterfront Park and then headed up onto the Big Four Bridge to watch the sun dip below the horizon.

Just before sunset the clouds moved in under the sun and I was able to capture the image above. By positioning myself on the Kentucky end of the Big Four Bridge I was able to frame the shot with the sun behind the tower crane for the Ohio River Bridges Project. I liked the way it was still above the Kennedy Bridge and the clouds created a beautiful orange glow across everything.

I shot with a tripod and captured a three frame bracket set of +2, 0 and -2 EV exposures. I processed the three frames into a single HDR image using NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 and applied the Balanced preset. I then returned the merged file to Aperture 3 where I adjusted it like I would normally. I boosted detail, added some contrast, adjusted color channels and sharpened it before cropping it to a wider format and adding a small vignette.

Big Four Bridge Bridge at Sunset
Big Four Bridge Bridge at Sunset

Click on the image to enlarge it in a separate window

I was quite taken with the beauty of the colors in the sky and decided to shoot the Big Four Bridge while it was illuminated by the setting sun. The color of the light and the way it enhanced the rusted bridge really drew my eye. I also liked the way the sky and river transitioned from orange to blue and worked to strengthen that complimentary color scheme during processing.

I used the same techniques for this image as I did on the previous one which really saturated the colors and brought out the detail of the rusted ironwork and the reflections in the water.

Waterfront Park Winter in HDR

Louisville Skyline and the Ohio River Shoreline in Winter
HDR Winter Sunset Louisville Skyline and the Ohio River Shoreline in Winter

Click on the image to enlarge it in another window.

Last week I decided to see what Waterfront Park looked like after several days of sub-zero weather and a couple of snow storms had blanketed the park. I wanted to emphasize the feeling of the coldness and crispness that winter on the Ohio River produces. I chose to shoot the above image because it seemed to encompass so many elements that identify the city and at the same time reinforce the brittleness and chill that was in the air. I was drawn to the complimentary colors of the gold in the sunset and the blue shadows on the shoreline. The river had been dropping for several days and there were shelves of ice layered one above the other at the river’s edge.

I knew going in that I was going to make these images as HDR images and shot my customary bracket set of three exposures at +2, 0 and -2 EV. I merged the three files into one high dynamic range image using NIK HDR Efex Pro 2. After merging them I applied the Balanced preset, adjusted the Detail slider to Accentuated and the Drama slider to Deep before returning the merged file to Aperture 3 for final processing. I chose to make these images in HDR because there was such a broad dynamic range in the scene from very dark areas along the shore to sunlight streaming through the bridge and around the skyline in the back of the images. Whenever there is such a wide dynamic range I find HDR processing allows me to show the scene as I saw it during my shooting.

Winter Evening in the Swing Garden
Winter Evening in the Swing Garden

Click on the image to enlarge it in another window.

 This second image is also a three frame bracket set taken much later in the evening. I was hoping to convey the quietness and solitude that a winter evening in Waterfront Park offers to those who venture there in January. I liked the way the street lamps illuminated the pathways and the shadows they cast across the ground. The lights on the Kennedy Bridge in the background are direct color compliments to the cobalt sky and clouds while the muted greens and yellows of the grass and street lamps that occupy the middle and foreground carry the eye along toward the river.

My HDR processing for this image was very similar to the first image though I did spend a little more time adjusting the color channels to get the feeling that I experienced as I surveyed the scene and decided to capture it. As with the previous image my goal here was to reinforce the icy cold that we are experiencing this winter here in Louisville.

Strolling Under The Big Four Bridge in January
Under The Big Four Bridge in January

Click on the image to enlarge it in another window.

I have been photographing the Big Four Bridge for several years and because of that I have to really study the scene to come up with something fresh to shoot. For this image I wanted to capture not only the beautiful sunset but also the snow on the ground and the feeling of winter. Once again the complimentary colors of the oranges of the sunset and the icy blue of the shadows were primary elements in my composition.

This image too is another high dynamic range image using NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 and Aperture 3 to process it. My goal with my HDR work is to present a realistic, if heightened, vision of natural and manmade elements that evoke strong feelings in the viewer.

 

 

 

 

 

Bright Blue Morning in Waterfront Park

HDR Bright Blue Morning in Louisville
Bright Blue January Morning in Louisville

Click on the image to enlarge it in another window.

This HDR image of Waterfront Park and the Ohio River was taken from the Big Four Bridge a couple of weeks ago. It was a cold crisp morning and the blue sky seemed Continue reading “Bright Blue Morning in Waterfront Park”

HDR Image of a Ghost Towboat

Towboat Poltergeist
Ghost Towboat?

Click on the image to enlarge it in another window.

As I worked the Louisville sunset on Monday night I saw this view of Waterfront Park and the Louisville skyline and set up my tripod to capture the scene for a HDR image. I liked the way the leading lines of the clouds and shoreline converged on the city skyline and thought that it would make a great HDR subject. The light trails on the left side Continue reading “HDR Image of a Ghost Towboat”

January Sunset Over Louisville Skyline in HDR

A panoramic HDR image of waterfront Park and the Louisville skyline under a dramatic sunset.