Scenes From The Ohio River Bridges Project First Workday of 2015

Ironworker welding on a bridge girder. #4
Ironworker welding on a bridge girder. #4

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The Ohio River Bridges Project resumed work on Monday January 5, 2015. Even though the weather was frigid I went out shoot the Ohio River Bridges Project first workday of 2015. I was only out there for a couple of hours unlike the construction workers who spent the entire day in the cold. I spotted this ironworker welding spacers on one of the bridge girders. I liked the repetition of linear elements and the way the smoke from the welding was drifting up. The lighting was a little harsh so I used a three frame bracket of -2, 0 and +2 EV exposures to capture details in the shadows and highlights. Once I had the images on my computer I opted to process them with NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 to create a HDR image. Once I had that image I opened it in Adobe Camera Raw where I adjusted the Clarity and Vibrance. I then finished processing it in Photoshop CS5.

Ironworker welding on a bridge girder. #2
Ironworker welding on a bridge girder. #2

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For this second version I took another similar image into Topaz B&W Effects and applied my own preset to give it an old time postcard feel. By desaturating the image and adding a white vignette along with the emulsion border this preset really changes the feeling of the final version.

Ironworker welding on a bridge girder. #3
Ironworker welding on a bridge girder. #3

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This version is the HDR image that I used for the previous image. The smoke surrounding the ironworker animates the scene and makes it clear that he is welding.

Ironworker welding on a bridge girder.
Ironworker welding on a bridge girder.

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When I’m out shooting I usually try to capture multiple versions of a scene to better tell the story. In these four images I was most taken with the linear elements in contrast to the human form.

Bridge Girder Bolts
Bridge Girder Bolts

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The detail shot above is of a group bolts that are being used to join two bridge girders. The early morning light was low which created the wonderful shadows while at the same time emphasizing the vibrant blue finish on the bolts. Once again this is three frame bracket set merged to create a single HDR image. Final adjustments were made in Adobe Camera Raw and Photoshop CS5.

Bridge Girders for Ramp Along Witherspoon Street Looking West Toward Louisville Skyline
Bridge Girders for Ramp Along Witherspoon Street Looking West Toward Louisville Skyline

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THe final image in this post is a shot of one of the ramps that will connect the new downtown bridge to the eastern section of Spaghetti Junction. I like the way the girders sweep up and into the frame and lead the viewer’s eye into the background while mirroring the curve of the road beneath the ramp. Using leading lines in a composition like this is a great way to add interest to an image.

Any of the images on Speedddemon2 can be purchased directly from me using the contact form below.

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