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While sorting through my images from last fall I came across this version of the setting of the first concrete form for the north tower of the downtown span. I liked the composition and decided to try it as a monotone image. I used NIK Silver Efex Pro to convert it to monotone and applied a preset for an antique feeling. I then sent it back into Aperture 3 for final processing.
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Sometimes simple is better….
I like using NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 for preparing black and white images. Using the bracketed exposures really helps intensify the textures and contrasts within an image. After merging the three exposures -2, 0, and +2 EV I returned the image to Aperture 3 where I applied a B&W setting with a blue filter. Some sharpening and contrast adjustments were applied and a slight vignette was used to finish the image.
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Today’s image was taken from above the Big Four Bridge when Tim Williams took me up in the 135 foot tall man lift. We were in one of the middle spans on the bridge and as he worked the basket through the bridge super structure I saw this image. We were looking south over the top of the bridge and for the first time I saw the beauty of the elliptical ramp that leads up onto the bridge from Waterfront Park. The ramp is a quarter mile long and is an engineering marvel. It incorporates multiple radia as it spirals up to the bridge. The engineering that went into designing and building it have led to numerous engineering and architectural awards.
I chose to process this black and white version in Aperture 3 using the Black and White adjustment panel. I tried all the various filters and ultimately opted to use the orange filter to get the level of contrast I was looking for. After that I adjusted the exposure, contrast and sharpening before exporting it as a 300 DPI JPEG file.
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This image is a four exposure bracket set taken at ISO 200 without additional light added. One of the benefits of shooting for HDR is the ability to capture scenes such as this with the extended dynamic range that a bracket set encompasses.
By exposing at +2, +1, 0, and -1 EV I was able to capture the textures within the scene and then merge them using NIK HDR EFex Pro 2. I adjusted the exposure and details in NIK HDR EFex Pro 2 and then I took the resulting image into Nik Silver Efex Pro to create a montone image. As I experimented with the various presets I came upon the “Antique Plate 2” preset which allowed me to create an image that feels as if it were made in another time. I thought the preset fit the subject and gave it an aura of mystery that I was hoping for.
After completing the monotone image I returned it to Aperture 3 where I sharpened it slightly and made a few other minor adjustments.
This image is from my trip to Keeneland’s 2012 Concours de’Elegance last Saturday. I am fascinated by the size and detail of the early automobiles I see at these events such as this headlight on a Stutz Bearcat. According to the owner this car is one of only three known to still exist.
Due to the size of the crowd it was nearly impossible to photograph the cars without someone stepping into the shot so I decided to shoot details of the cars instead. I was able to keep the crowd out of these shots because I moved in close to the cars and got down low in front of them. Sometimes I was even laying on the ground to get an angle that allowed for an interesting composition; the people around me must have thought I was having a stroke when they saw an old man prostrate on the ground. At any rate it helped to keep them out of my camera’s line of sight.
I first processed this image in NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 as an HDR from a single image and then saved it back into Aperture 3. I then took it into NIK Silver Efex Pro where I converted it to black and white. I made a few adjustment while in there and then back to Aperture 3 for my final processing. There were some branches intruding on the left side that I cloned out using the retouch feature in Aperture 3. I then made a few contrast adjustments and some minor sharpening before saving the image.
