Once I got started with these composite images I couldn’t stop trying more versions. In this case there are eight frames combined into one image. The patterns created by merging these images create their own faces within faces as the stains on the floor join together.
I couldn’t resist merging more frames of the iRobots image from a few weeks back. I started playing with various combinations and came up with this one which feels very anthropomorphic.
This is another image from my trip to Vendome Copper and Brass Works. In this image I was intrigued by the contrast of the highly polished stainless steel fittings with the lightly oxidized copper. I liked the way the overhead lights were reflecting under the bulb shaped area and the overall sheen that the metallic surfaces had.
The composition is a rule of thirds arrangement which gives the overall image a balanced feel. I placed the foreground element in the lower third of the frame to lead the viewer’s eye into the scene while the vertical elements serve to lead the eye up and back into the image.
I processed this image in Aperture 3 to adjust the composition and slightly crop it. I then opened it in NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 where I once again went with the Realistic (deep) preset where I tweaked the intensity and texture of the scene. I then returned it to Aperture 3 for some light sharpening and a little vibrance adjustment.
I didn’t set out to make this image when I shot my brackets but once I was back in my studio at my computer the possibility of doing it came to me. I really liked the way the copper and stainless steel glowed under the industrial lights at Vendome Copper and Brass Works manufacturing facility here in Louisville. I thought the copper stills had characteristics that suggested that they were alien beings and I went with that idea. After merging the two versions I began to see various patterns in the image that further reinforced the concept.
The composition is symmetrical, something I usually avoid, but in this case it really works to give a sense of depth to the image. The composition also showcases the objects within the image and gives them new meanings. I especially like the many patterns that are formed in the space from the textures on the floor to the very back of the image.
The original image is another five exposure bracket set that was first merged in NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 and then using the Realistic (Deep) setting I did my final tone mapping. I tried to not go too far in my tone mapping in order to retain a sense of reality in the colors and textures within the scene.
I saved the resulting image back to Aperture 3 before exporting it to Photoshop CS5 where I duplicated it as a mirror image. I created this image by flipping my original shot side to side in Photoshop CS5; this left me with two images that I then merged into one image using Photoshop CS5.
Yesterday I downloaded the newest version of NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 which just came out this week. I had seen a webinar by NIK that showed the newest features of the app and I wanted to try it out. I am very impressed with the upgrade; the new version is much more refined than it’s predecessor which I already thought was the best HDR app I had used.
Today’s image was taken at Vendome Copper and Brass works here in Louisville. Vendome Copper and Brass Works is the main manufacturer of distilling equipment in the USA and the opportunity to photograph there was wonderful. They use a lot of copper to build these stills and distilling columns which made the place a fantastic place to photograph. I have several more images that I took while there and will be sharing them over the next few days.
This photo was processed from 5 frames taken at +2, +1, 0, -1, -2, Exposure Values. I could have just as easily used shutter speed to bracket the shots but my method is to adjust EV when shooting HDR brackets. I then took the images into NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 where I merged them and then applied the Realistic (Deep) preset and did some minor tweaking of the settings. After that I returned the image to Aperture 3 for sharpening and final output. If you are looking for an app for HDR processing I highly recommend NIK’s app, like everything else from NIK it is loaded with features and performs flawlessly.
