Tag: texture

Around The Ohio River Bridges Project – Abstracts and Closeups

Closeup of a concrete saw used to cut rain grooves in the new roadway surface. Black and White Version #1
Closeup of a concrete saw used to cut rain grooves in the new roadway surface. Black and White Version #1

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These image are some closeups and abstracts that I shot last month while I was down shooting the Ohio River Bridges Project. Sometimes when I’m shooting construction I need to change my perspective by looking for abstract or closeup subjects. When I saw the concrete saws lying on a trailer I was intrigued by the pattern of the diamond cutting edges and the notches in the blades. The other image is from the tire tracks of a piece of rubber tired heavy equipment in sand.

I shot them in three frame bracket sets of +2, 0 and -2 EV exposures for later HDR processing. I processed the HDR images in NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 and Aperture 3. After completing the color versions I decided to use NIK Silver Efex to convert a couple of them to Black and White.

Closeup of a concrete saw used to cut rain grooves in the new roadway surface. Black and White Version #2
Closeup of a concrete saw used to cut rain grooves in the new roadway surface. Black and White Version #2

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Abstract of equipment tracks in sand #1
Abstract of equipment tracks in sand #1

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Closeup of a concrete saw used to cut rain grooves in the new roadway surface.HDR Version #2
Closeup of a concrete saw used to cut rain grooves in the new roadway surface.HDR Version #2

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Closeup of a concrete saw used to cut rain grooves in the new roadway surface.HDR Version #1
Closeup of a concrete saw used to cut rain grooves in the new roadway surface.HDR Version #1

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Sunset on the Ohio River

Ohio River Sunset June 5, 2013 #2
Ohio River Sunset June 5, 2013 #2

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I find it amazing how much the sky will change during sunset. This first image was approximately 30 minutes after the sun had set and the sky was lit as if it were on fire. Once the sun was below the horizon the clouds mover further east and stretched high into the sky allowing the sunlight to diffuse even more. I was walking back down the Big Four Bridge ramp and couldn’t believe how wonderful the light had become. The way it cast a warm glow across the landscape, river and the handrail was irresistible and I stopped to capture this scene. The small section of blue in the upper right corner seemed a perfect complement to the overall orange cast in the scene and really enhanced the warmness of the oranges.

I processed this HDR image in NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 using a three frame bracket set of +2, 0 and -2 EV exposures. After merging them I applied the Balanced preset and boosted the Detail and Drama settings to Accentuated and Deep which really popped the texture in the sky and on the water. Upon returning the merged image to Aperture 3 I added some contrast and made a very slight change to the mid-contrast which further enhanced the texture in the sky, water and on the Big Four Bridge too. I adjusted the color channels to suit my intent for the image and finished with some minor sharpening and a small vignette.

Ohio River Sunset June 5, 2013 #3
Ohio River Sunset June 5, 2013 #3

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As I sated earlier the range of colors and the effect it has on a scene is simply amazing during sunset. I often photograph directly into the sun when it is necessary to my vision of an image. I was drawn to this shot by the way the orange sunlight was spreading out from the sun while the sky around it remained blue. I liked the way the sunlight reflected in the river and on the ironwork of the Big Four Bridge on the right. I elected to shoot through the handrail to emphasize the perspective in the frame and to capture the people strolling along the riverfront.

In this image the complementary colors are reversed from their relationship in the first image with blue becoming the dominant hue. Whenever I am shooting I like to keep the concept of complementary colors in mind as I compose an image. Since orange is directly across the color wheel from blue the overall effect is a complimentary color scheme that allows both colors to really pop.  Whether it is something as dramatic as a sunset or a subject within a landscape I keep the color wheel in mind and look for complementary colors that will add interest while not dominating the final image.

Instead of using all three frames from my bracket set for this image I decided to use only the underexposed and the normally exposed frames. I did this because a little boy walked into the frame during the overexposed shot. I didn’t want to go through the effort of masking him out of the shot so elected to try a two frame HDR. The resulting image had a broad enough dynamic range to gather shadow details and still retain detail in the sunset and clouds.

One additional note about these images before I wrap up; I decided to crop them into a more panoramic aspect ratio in order to give a more expansive feel to the final images. I find that landscape images often, but not always, benefit from a wider aspect ratio.

 

Abstracts and Close-ups From the Ohio River Bridges Project Construction Site

Caisson Connectors
Caisson Connectors

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When I am out on the job site shooting I like to include abstracts and close-ups from the construction site  in my workflow. I find the visual elements of a pile of bolts, an impression left by a tire tread and manmade vs organic shapes very interesting. As a photographer I am very attuned to seeing art in the mundane day to day elements that surround me when I’m in the field shooting and strive to share that beauty with the viewers of my images.

The bolts in the image above are used in the assembly of the caisson in the background. I shot these as a three frame bracket set and merged them into a single HDR image using NIK HDR EFex Pro 2. After merging them and applying the Balanced preset I returned the merged file to Aperture 3 for final adjustments to color, sharpness, contrast and saturation.

Abstract close-up of construction components.
Abstract close-up of construction components.

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Due to the need to capture images throughout the workday I often find myself shooting in some pretty harsh lighting conditions which I compensate for by using bracketed exposures and HDR processing. By capturing a three frame bracket of +2, 0 and -2 EV exposures I am able to gather detail in the highlights and shadows and merge that data in my HDR software of choice NIK HDR Efex Pro 2. Generally my merger procedure is to apply the Balanced preset with as little anti-ghosting as possible in order to maintain the detail in the images. Because I shoot almost all my daytime construction images handheld I find anti-ghosting to be one of the most important settings to monitor during processing of an HDR image. I am fairly sure that the use of anti-ghosting compensates for minor camera movement and aids in aligning the three frames I usually shoot in my bracket set.

Crane Mat Timbers
Crane Mat Timbers

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Whenever the cranes on tracks are set up they are almost always sitting on these heavy timber crane mats. The timbers are about 12″ x 12″ in cross section and then they are bolted together into slabs of several timbers. These slabs are leveled and placed on the ground to spread the weight of the construction crane evenly and make a stable platform for the crane to work from.

I came across this stack of crane mats and was drawn to the colors and textures of their surfaces. These crane mats were stored in a shaded area of the job site and the light was very low. By using a bracketed series of three exposures I was able to capture a wide dynamic range and bring out the texture, colors and detail in the image. This is another example of why I love using HDR techniques to photograph on the job site. The broad dynamic range provided by the bracket set allows me to make decisions about how I want to portray the subject in the final image and what elements are most important to me in the final photo.

Earth Compactor Pattern
Earth Compactor Pattern

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I shot this image because I liked the pattern and contrast  that the earth compactor teeth left in the earth with the organic fissures between the machine made impressions.

 

Using NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 and Topaz Labs Software Together to Add Drama to an Image

1929 Monument to Progress
A Monument to Progress From the Art Deco Era

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I was in the mood to experiment yesterday and decided to use this photo of the statue at the Indiana entrance of the Clark Memorial Bridge across the Ohio River in Jeffersonville Indiana as my source image. I first created a HDR image from a three frame bracket set of +2, 0 and-2 EV exposures where I applied the Balanced preset with Detail set for Accentuated and Drama set for Deep. I returned the merged file to Aperture 3 for some retouching of dust spots and other standard adjustments. After doing that I created a duplicate file and opened it in Topaz ReStyle where I applied a preset that I happened upon while experimenting with the Landscape presets. I don’t recall which one it is (I should write that stuff down) but I liked the feeling of Art Deco Posters that it gave the image. I also added a texture layer in OnOne Perfect Effects that simulates canvas.

After creating this image I spent a few hours applying different combinations of Topaz ReStyle and OnOne Perfect Effects to several other copies of the same image. It was very exciting to see how many ways I could change the overall feeling of one image simply through application of Various Topaz ReStyle and OnOne Perfect Effects.

1929 Monument to Progress
HDR Image of the Indiana Entrance to the Clark Memorial Bridge in Jeffersonville, Indiana.

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The image above is the source image that I created in NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 before experimenting with Topaz ReStyle and OnOne Perfect Effects.

1929 Monument to Progress
There Was a Time When Design Was as Important as Function as in this Monument at the Entrance to the Clark Memorial Bridge in Jeffersonville, Indiana Illustrates.

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This version uses only a single Topaz Restyle preset to convey an entirely different feeling to the HDR source image.

Indiana entrance to the Clark Memorial Bridge #4
Apocalyptic Morning

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For this final image I worked with a HDR image that I then applied a Fiery preset in Topaz ReStyle to before taking it into OnOne Perfect Effects and using layers added a Glow preset and a Texture preset called Black Leather. In both instances I reduced the Opacity of the presets a lot to get this final version.

I had a blast experimenting with all three pieces of software and may do some further experimenting again soon.

Bridge Piling ala Cadillac Ranch in HDR

HDR image of Two Rows of Piling on the eastern end Spaghetti Junction
Bridge Foundation Piling in Spaghetti Junction

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These large bridge pilings stand almost ten feet into the air. When I first saw them I thought of the art installation Cadillac Ranch located alongside Interstate 40 in Amarillo Texas. I have stopped at Cadillac Ranch each time I have ridden through Amarillo and they have that same feeling of a larger than life presence and iconic mystery. What if the world ended today and a future archeologist were to come upon them? Would they be seen as something akin to Stonehenge or other religious structures? Would anyone even surmise that they were simply a part of the foundation for a super highway?

As I photographed them I enjoyed the way they towered above me. I was also drawn to enter the space they occupied and felt as if I were in a temple or sacred structure. I shot around and inside them for several minutes and then forgot about them until I downloaded that day’s shoot. As I reviewed the shots I was immediately drawn to this image and made it my first choice to process that day.

To create this HDR image I first took the bracket set into NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 and then completed it in Aperture 3. By using HDR and a three frame bracket set I was able to capture the texture and tones inside the pilings and the lettering and colors on their surface while still maintaining the faint white clouds in the mottled blue sky. After that I decided to experiment with Topaz Adjust which added texture and tonality to the final result, seen above, when I applied the Spicify preset and made some minor adjustments to it’s settings. Even though there is some slight haloing along the top edges of the pilings I really like the results.