Tag: Recreation

Early Morning In Waterfront Park

Posted on by Nick Roberts
Big Four Morning
Big Four Morning

Click on the image to enlarge it in another window.

I shot this image on Saturday morning last week before the crowds arrived. The morning was relatively calm and the park had only a few people in it at that time. There were many people walking up on the bridge to catch the first moments of the day as others were busy exercising on the lawn around the swing garden. I like the peaceful feeling that the early morning light gives the image.

Saturday Morning Boot Camp
Saturday Morning Boot Camp

Click on the image to enlarge it in another window.

This is one of my favorite angles to photograph the Swing Garden and the Louisville Skyline from the Big Four Bridge. I like the way the geometric layout of the park comes out from this vantage point. On the right can be seen the barges and equipment that are being used to build the piers for the new Ohio River Bridges Project Downtown Crossing. Walsh Construction seems to be taking great pains to keep the job site clean and orderly which is their way of showing respect for the Louisville Waterfront Park and it’s wonderful features such as the Swing Garden and the Lincoln Memorial with the wonderful sculptures by Louisville’s native son and nationally renowned sculptor, Mr. Ed Hamilton.

This image is a three frame bracket set of +2, 0 and -2 EV HDR image created using NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 and Aperture 3. After merging in NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 I returned the HDR image to Aperture 3 for additional adjustment to the contrast, color channels, sharpening and minor cropping. I also added a slight vignette to the final image to lead the viewer’s eye into the frame.

In the coming months I will be sharing images from the Ohio River Bridges Project as I shoot it from inside the actual job sites. I will be sharing photos of not only the physical progress of the project; I will also be showing the men and women who are doing the work to build this much anticipated bridge and it’s transformation of the Louisville waterfront. I hope you will follow along as work progresses and sign up for email announcements when I post new work; to do that simply follow SpeedDemon2.com via the sign up box at the top of the page.

 

Safety Orientation at Walsh Construction

Posted on by Nick Roberts
Morning Ride
Morning Ride

Click on the image to enlarge it in another window.

Yesterday morning I went to Safety Orientation at Walsh Construction to learn the protocols for job site safety while shooting on the Ohio River Bridges Project. It was a beautiful morning and since I was early I decided to capture a few shots of my bike while waiting for the class to start. I really liked the cloud patterns and the Colgate-Palmolive clock in  the background and set up my composition around them and the quarter view of the bike.

I shot my standard bracket set 0f +2, 0 and -2 EV to get my frames for an HDR image I was envisioning. Back at my desk I merged the three frames using NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 where I also tone mapped and adjusted the image detail and colors. I then returned the HDR image to Aperture 3 for final adjustments and sharpening.

HDR Ohio River Bridges Project

Posted on by Nick Roberts
Ohio River Bridges Project Downtown Span #2
Ohio River Bridges Project Downtown Span #2

Click on the image to enlarge it in another window.

 After a couple meetings with Walsh Construction I have been granted access to the construction sites after I complete the required safety training.  This week I will be going through safety training with Walsh Construction to familiarize myself with the safety procedures that I will need to follow while shooting the Ohio River Bridges Project.

I am excited and honored that they are allowing me to shoot onsite and really looking forward to getting started. It is a huge project and has over 50 individual spans that I will be following for the next three years as the project proceeds. I will be able to document the progress and the men and women who are building the bridges from now until the completion of the project.

I hope you will stick around as I record the day to day work that goes into a project of this scale and the men and women who will be doing the work. I intend to show as many facets of the job as possible from the construction workers to the engineering support teams and the folks who run the office side too. I’ll be shooting most of the work in HDR and I’m sure that there will be many discoveries as I try new software and new camera techniques throughout the next three years.

It’s Not the Destination, It’s the Journey…

Posted on by Nick Roberts

Navajo Highway

Well folks it’s been one whole year since I began this blog. When I started SpeedDemon2 I had a vague notion of where it would lead but just like riding my motorcycle the whole thing was not about the destination; the whole purpose was the journey. When I started the blog I wanted to share my images with a wider audience and connect to other like minded folks. I didn’t know how it would happen but I knew that if I gave it a shot it would all work out.

The past twelve months have been rewarding in so many ways. I discovered other artists and photographers who shared with me their thoughts and criticism,  challenged myself to become a better writer, have taken my photography to an entirely new level, gained access to photo opportunities, the list goes on.

When I start out on a motorcycle ride whether it is a month of travel across the country to a specific place, or a short ride into the city, there are so many possible routes to take that will lead to new discoveries yet still get you to the destination. Along the way I discover new vistas, see features and things that I’ve never seen before, make new friends and all the while I feel connected to the life force that surrounds me. Blogging has done that for me as well, exposing me to others who care about many of the same things I do and broadening my experience as an artist.

I have no idea where the next twelve months will take me but I am sure the journey will be filled with discovery. There will be new influences on my photography, new tools that spark new ideas, new destinations to explore, new projects to immerse myself in and most important of all there will be the journey. I hope you, my readers, will stick around and join me on this journey; I don’t know the destination yet but I am confident it will be worth the effort.