Tag: Clark Memorial Bridge

Thunderboomer

Thunderboomer

I shot this image last night just as a storm front was passing through Louisville. I shot seven brackets E.V. +2, +1, 0, -1, -2, -3, -4 in order to capture the full range of tonality in the scene. As I have said before I watch my histogram closely to be sure that I have no blown out highlights which for this scene required four stops underexposure.

I processed these frames in both NIK HDR Efex Pro and NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 and discovered that the later version, NIK HDR Efex Pro 2, is superior in it’s anti-ghosting capabilities as well as it’s tone mapping. I used the Realistic (Deep) preset and adjusted the tonality slider slightly while in NIK HDR Efex Pro 2. I then returned the image to Aperture 3 where I tweaked the vibrancy slider and then sharpened the image. After this morning’s experiment I am sold on the upgrade to NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 and recommend it for anyone wanting to process bracketed HDR images.

Another Louisville Sunset

Sunset on the Ohio River at Louisville, KY

Here’s another image taken at sunset from the Clark memorial Bridge. I can’t stop going downtown and shooting from the bridge. This particular evening the sun was just dropping below the horizon and the colors were amazing. I especially like the way the sunset is reflected in the Yum Center windows.

The composition relies on the balance of the building and roadway with the texture of the clouds. There is also a complimentary color harmony going on with the blues of the sky and the oranges in the sunset.

I processed this image using NIK HDR Efex Pro using the “Realistic Strong” preset and Aperture 3 for final sharpening.

Golden Hour on the Clark Memorial Bridge

Golden Hour on the Clark Memorial Bridge
(Click on the image to open in a separate window)

This image is on the Clark Memorial Bridge approach from Louisville looking north into Indiana. I chose this composition because I like the way the bridge railing and sidewalk lead the viewer’s eye into the image. The afternoon glow of the “Golden Hour” on the bridge and in the sky is a nice contrast to the coolness of the shadows in the lower third of the image.

I processed this image in NIK HDR Efex pro using the Realistic (Strong) preset as my base point. After the six images were merged I applied the anti-ghosting at the high setting which cleaned up the cars on the bridge and reduced the ghosting they were exhibiting. I then slightly adjusted the shadows and highlights sliders before saving the image back into Aperture 3. I then reopened the photo in Aperture 3 where I did some further enhancement to the colors and vibrancy before the final sharpening.

Louisville Waterfront Sunset

Waterfront
Louisville Waterfront Sunset

I took this image last week from the Clark Memorial Bridge. I used five exposure values +2, +1, 0, -1, -2 to capture the scene. I then processed them in NIK HDR Efex Pro to merge and tonemap the image. I also reprocessed the merged image with the anti-ghosting feature set at medium to clean up the vehicles on the highway and any ghosting in the clouds.  I chose the Realistic Strong preset as my starting point and then tweaked the sliders until I had the colors and details where I wanted them. After that I returned the image to Aperture 3 for a little boost to the color temperature and sharpening.

I am especially pleased with the way the sky is reflected in the YUM Center in this image. I had been trying for several weeks to catch a sunset that was dramatic enough and high enough in the sky to reflect in the building’s convex glass. I checked cloud maps every evening for almost a month in hopes of being able to capture a dramatic sky such as this one. Many times the clouds would be where I wanted them 30 minutes before sunset only to fade away just as the sun set. On this particular evening the cloud map showed a  lot of clouds out to the west so I set up my camera and tripod on the Clark Memorial Bridge and waited for their arrival. I was rewarded by these clouds moving in at just the moment  the sun was setting.

Studying your location and accessing relevant sources, such as the cloud map, can really help when seeking to capture an image that you see in your mind’s eye. Keep this in mind the next time you wonder why you can’t seem to catch the scene you are seeking, patience and planning will eventually pay off if you do your part too.

Thunder Under The Bridge

Fireworks under Clark Memorial Bridge
Thunder Under the Bridge

This image was taken during Thunder Over Louisville which is billed as one of the largest fireworks displays in America. Thunder Over Louisville occurs every spring as the kickoff event of the Kentucky Derby Festival. For this shot I went under the Clark Memorial Bridge to get a different vantage point from the typical fireworks shot. By including the bridge’s architecture I was able to take a rather mundane subject and give it a sense of scale.

I processed this image in Aperture 3 and Topaz Adjust which really added punch to the texture of the stonework and enhanced the colors in the fireworks. The composition is balanced by the strong diagonal line of the underside of the bridge deck and the curve of the arch on the left which also reinforces the arc of the fireworks as they stream down from the sky.