Photographing Louisville at Night From The Ohio River Bridges Project, Downtown Span, Tower Three

Louisville's spaghetti junction at night from atop the western tower on pier three of the Ohio River Bridges Project.
Louisville’s spaghetti junction at night from atop the western tower on pier three of the Ohio River Bridges Project.

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A couple of weeks ago I climbed up on the western tower on Pier Three to shoot the Ohio River Bridges Project Downtown Span and Louisville at night. I was 300 feet above the river standing on the top of the tower and decided to use long shutter speeds to capture the light trails of the traffic moving through Spaghetti Junction. I really like the way the colors of the light change across the images especially the green of work areas vs the orange of the existing sodium lights along the roadways. I was also interested in the flow of the roads and the way the light trails emphasized their paths.

Louisville's spaghetti junction at night from atop the western tower on pier three of the Ohio River Bridges Project. #2
Louisville’s spaghetti junction at night from atop the western tower on pier three of the Ohio River Bridges Project. #2

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In this version I purposely emphasized the orange lighted areas to contrast them with the deep blues in the darker areas. The little hits of green around the construction offices really popped and added another dimension to the image.

 

Kennedy Bridge on I-65 at night seen from above .
Kennedy Bridge on I-65 at night seen from above.

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This shot above the Kennedy Bridge uses the orange of the roadway and along the river’s shore as unifying elements to integrate the foreground with the distant skyline.

Night in Waterfront Park as seen from atop the western tower on pier three of the Downtown Span on the Ohio River Bridges Project.
Night in Waterfront Park as seen from atop the western tower on pier three of the Downtown Span on the Ohio River Bridges Project.

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The final pair of images in this post show Waterfront Park and the Big Four Bridge lit up. I used the contrast of the straight lines of the bridge tower and crane boom as counterpoints to the arcing curves of the park to create this composition.

Night in Waterfront Park as seen from atop the western tower on pier three of the Downtown Span on the Ohio River Bridges Project. #2
Night in Waterfront Park as seen from atop the western tower on pier three of the Downtown Span on the Ohio River Bridges Project. #2

Click on any image to enlarge it.

In this final image the Big Four Bridge in the background and the lights in the park really stand out from the reflected light on the concrete tower and the yellow crane boom. The purple of the Big Four Bridge lighting is a great compliment to the green and aqua of the park lights.

I shot in three frame bracket sets of +2, 0 and -2 EV exposures for HDR merging into single images. I used NIK HDR eFex Pro 2 and Adobe Camera Raw to do most of the processing as well as Photoshop CS5 to do some lens correction.

2 thoughts on “Photographing Louisville at Night From The Ohio River Bridges Project, Downtown Span, Tower Three

  1. Nick! I miss seeing you and listening to your cheerful, thoughtful banter with the rest of the LPS group. It seems to be busting from the seams as I watch all the chatter and photographs on Facebook. I have started teaching children at church on Wednesday nights and lost the freedom to be there with you guys. But…I enjoy teaching them too, and feel it is what I need to do for now. I love the photographs you have on the post.. they are incredible! But it also reminds me of all the hard work you have but in to gain the opportunity to take shots like this. We all would like opportunities to shoot shots like that….but who puts in the hard work to build the relationships and permission to do so….you. I am reminded as I look at these shots at how photography is made up of equal parts of hard work and expertise…..one goes in hand with the other.
    I also am reminded of the photo of the gentleman that passed away this week after his fight with cancer. It was a beautiful portrait…it showed his work, his loves, and his vibrancy. That is what sets you apart Nick…you LOVE photography and art and it shows…you work incredibly hard at it. But you love people too, and you genuinely care about them, AND are so willing to share what you’ve learned with others.
    That is the humanity that peeks out of your work.
    Thank you for every kindness you have shown me….and for the honor of knowing you and viewing your work.
    I count it a privilege.
    karen

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