Tag: Tools and Equipment

Rigging in Black and White

Rigging
Rigging

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Today’s post is a closeup os some of the rigging that is used to move large items with the cranes. This image was originally a three exposure bracket set using -2, 0 and +2 EV exposures which I merged in NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 before taking the merged image into NIK Silver Efex Pro 2 where I used the Antique Plate preset to convert it to B&W. After making a few adjustments to exposure, contrast and film type I returned it to Aperture 3 for sharpening.

It Says Right Here…

It Says Right Here...
It Says Right Here…

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This image is of David Morse, a member of the International Union of Operating Engineers, and the BG-40 Drilling Rig he is operating. The large drum with the teeth on it is a rock drill which is almost twelve feet in diameter. David is using it to drill thirty feet into the bedrock for the piers that will support the new Ohio River Bridge. David is quite a character and when he saw me photographing him he grabbed the book and acted as if he needed to read the manual to do his job. He could easily write the book himself given his vast experience operating drilling equipment.

I added a circular polarizer to my lens last week and it has really boosted the saturation in my exposures. I didn’t know what I was missing by not using the polarizer until I saw the RAW files I got from this shoot. I shot a three frame bracket set of +2, 0 and -2 EV exposures which I then opened in NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 and merged using 100% anti-ghosting to get a good portrait of David. I applied a preset I built myself for another project which really worked well with the images from this day’s shoot too.

One of the great things about shooting almost daily is that I learn more and more about getting the images I see in my mind with each new shoot. There is nothing that improves an artist’s work more than practice. My motto is practice, practice, practice and I often tell other photographers that practice is the best thing they can do if they hope to improve their skills and their images.

 

Red….

Red Winch
Red Winch

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This winch is used on the crane barge to handle the post that are used to anchor it in the river after it is in place. I loved the color and shapes so I looked for a way to use it in a composition that shows the mid river job sites and the equipment that is needed out there.

Three frame handheld HDR image using NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 to merge and tone map the image before returning it to Aperture 3 for final adjustments.