Tag: panorama

Ohio River Bridges Project Downtown Span Construction Progress

Posted on January 15, 2014 by Nick Roberts

Ohio River Bridges Project Downtown Span, January 2014

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Yesterday morning I decided to shoot an overview of the Ohio River Bridges Project Downtown Span foundation progress. I wanted to show the entire river crossing foundation work that has been accomplished so far. I went up on the Big Four Pedestrian Bridge to get far enough upriver to capture the view from shore to shore where the bridge will cross the Ohio River. I knew I wanted a panorama so I shot with the final cropping in mind.

I used a three frame bracket set of +2, 0 and -2 EV exposures that I merged in NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 and finished in Aperture 3. Currently most of my HDR work is being sent back to Aperture after very minimal tone mapping in NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 using the Balanced preset as my starting point and then adjusting exposure, contrast, highlights and shadows in Aperture 3. I also adjust the individual color channels and sharpen in Aperture 3 as well as cropping the image to the final size proportions.

Louisville’s New Downtown Bridge

Posted on July 1, 2013 by Nick Roberts

Waterfront Park during the Downtown Bridge construction, June 27, 2013

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Work has begun on the Downtown Bridge carrying I-65 across the Ohio River from Louisville. The impact on Waterfront Park should be minimal because the Waterfront Development Corporation had the foresight to prepare a place for it to cross the park. The Waterfront Development Corporation made sure to keep any major component of the park out of this area in an effort to accomodate the bridge and still have a world class park along the Louisville waterfront. This type of forward thinking is the hallmark of the Waterfront Development Corporation which has returned the waterfront to the citizens of Louisville as the “Commons” that the city’s founders envisioned.

As with the Big Four Bridge project I am excited to see and photograph the changing face of Louisville as it continues it’s march into the future. Over the course of the next two years I will be following the construction and the people making it happen. After shooting the Big Four Project I have discovered how much I enjoy construction projects and will certainly be following this latest engineering feat as the work progresses.

I shot this image in the part of the day that most photography “experts” would say to put the camera away. The conventional thinking is that midday light is too harsh and the only time to shoot landscapes is during the “golden hours” or the “blue hours”. I don’t think that is necessary and subscribe to the belief that even when the sun is high in the sky there are plenty of good photo opportunities if one will only open one’s eyes and mind to the possibilities. This particular day the sky was full of interesting cloud formations as a low pressure front was pushing in from the south and colliding with a high pressure front from the north. Had the sky been empty I might have chosen another framing to show the park and construction project.

The image was created from a three frame bracket set using +2, 0 and -2 EV. I first took all three RAW images into NIK Sharpener Pro where I applied some initial sharpening. I then merged the three shots in NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 and applied the Deep 2 preset before returning the merged image to Aperture 3 where I applied several adjustments to saturation and luminance in an effort to tone down the colors slightly. I then straightened and cropped the image and applied the final sharpening.

Beckley Creek Panorama

Posted on April 24, 2013 by Nick Roberts

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This is another 3 exposure HDR image processed in NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 and Aperture 3. I used the Balanced preset in NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 after merging the three exposures with a 20% anti-ghosting setting. My goal was to recreate the scene in as realistic a way as I could while still exploiting the increased tonal range that HDR provides.

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Memo From the Department of Shameless Self Promotion

I am still accepting participants for my next HDR Workshop on May 17-18, 2013 here in Louisville. The last session was a great success; the participants all felt that it was time well spent and were applying the things they learned the next day. Here’s a link to the sign up page at Outdoor Photo Gear.

http://outdoorphotogear.ticketleap.com/using-hdr-photography/

Big Four Bridge Opening Thursday 02-07-2013

Posted on February 6, 2013 by Nick Roberts

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I thought that with the opening of the Big Four Bridge set for Thursday morning I would look back over the past six months of my posts about the bridge. Photographing this project has been one of the most rewarding experiences in my life as an artist and photographer. Shooting almost daily, getting to know the construction crew, learning about bridge building, seeing my hometown from a vantage point few have ever experienced and expanding my photographic skills are all things that happened because I chose to create this blog which then led to my gaining access to the project.

I started the SpeedDemon2 blog last summer and tried to post a new image each day. Had I not posted a photo of clouds moving over the bridge after a thunderstorm on the blog, it would not have been seen by the Waterfront Development Corporation. Without them seeing that photo the Waterfront Development Corporation wouldn’t have had any reason to contact me or grant me access to the project and I would not have gotten the opportunity to go up on the bridge during the final phase of the conversion from abandoned railroad bridge to a pedestrian bridge and a central component of Louisville Waterfront Park.

When people ask me about how to get recognition for their photography I always tell them to blog about their work. I relate my story about the exposure and opportunities blogging has given me and my work, not only here in Louisville but around the world too.

I can’t begin to list everyone who helped me and took me under their wings as I moved forward with my personal plan for this body of work. I want to thank the Waterfront Development Corporation, Construction Solutions LLC and T&C Construction for all the support and access they have granted me.

I especially want to thank all the Ironworkers, Carpenters, Laborers and Equipment Operators for their cooperation and understanding as I went about documenting their day to day activities. These guys have become friends that I hope to stay in contact with for years to come. Without their skill and expertise the Big Four Bridge conversion could not exist; their dedication to craftsmanship and love for the bridge are evident in every detail. They never cut corners or took an attitude that something was “good enough” instead they took the approach that “perfection equals pride in a job well done” which shows everywhere one looks. Everyone who sees and uses this bridge owes them a debt of gratitude.

The Waterfront Development Corporation has restored Louisville’s Commons and given our city a park that celebrates our roots as a river city. Their vision and leadership will be enjoyed by the people of Louisville and her visitors for generations to come and exemplifies the title “The City of Possibility”. Waterfront Park gives the entire community a gathering place far greater than any of us who have lived here our entire adult lives ever dreamed possible.

Big Four Bridge at Sunrise

Morning sunrise on the Big Four Bridge jobsite. — Start of the Workday

Big Four Bridge at Waterfront Park, Louisville, Kentucky

The image above is the one that was seen by the Waterfront Development Corporation and landed me on the bridge. I was subsequently allowed to shoot this final phase of the conversion from abandoned railroad bridge to a pedestrian bridge between Kentucky and Indiana.

I Have Been To the Mountains!

Posted on January 25, 2013 by Nick Roberts

This week I spent several days in the eastern Kentucky Mountains. There was no internet access in the cottage I stayed in so I was off the grid; actually that was a good thing because it allowed me to relax and read some Elmore Leonard western stories instead of banging on a keyboard. I shot quite a lot of multiple exposures for HDR processing which I plan to work on this weekend.

I did quite a bit of hiking and learned that I need to spend more time hiking just to get myself in shape for mountain photography. When a trail marker says it is only 1/4 mile long that doesn’t mean it won’t be strenuous. I don’t think there was a single moment when I wasn’t walking uphill or wishing for level ground. By the third day I was beginning to develop a some stamina and felt a little stronger.

I was staying at Pine Mountain State Resort Park and made a couple of trips to Cumberland Gap National Park where I met the Park Ranger, Scott Teodorski. Scott is a photographer himself; he gave me some suggestions for places to shoot and I took his advice. I’m glad I stopped in the visitor center first because I might have missed seeing Pinnacle Overlook and Iron Furnace without Scott’s suggestions to see them.

New rule: Always talk to the Park Ranger when you go to a new spot to shoot. The insights and passion they have for their park will lead you to see things that you might otherwise overlook.

I took a drive to Kingdom Come Sate Park which was about sixty miles north of Pineville. The views from the top are amazing and even though I was well past the golden hour I’m glad I scouted it out. The Park Headquarters are at an overlook that is almost 3000 feet in altitude. Once again I went in to meet the park ranger and get his advice about where to travel in the park. There is a road through the park named Shepherd’s Trail that I learned from the ranger was very scenic but that also could be treacherous in winter. It passes around the north side of the mountain and isn’t plowed outside the park boundary; he advised me not to attempt it in my two wheel drive pickup as there were many hairpins and switchbacks and there might still be snow on the road.

I took a new Phottix brand Variable Neutral Density filter with me, that I picked up from Outdoor Photo Gear, and did some testing with it at Iron Furnace. I’ll write up my review soon and share some of the images I shot with it. All in all it is a great addition to my gear though it does have a couple of quirks that bugged me.

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