Author: Nick Roberts

Around The Ohio River Bridges Project – Abstracts and Closeups

Posted on by Nick Roberts
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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I-65 Southbound Section Was Nearing Completion

Posted on by Nick Roberts
Carpenters form retaining wall on Southbound I-65 near Slugger Field
Carpenters form retaining wall on Southbound I-65 near Slugger Field

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During the last days of construction of Phase One, Section One, of the I-65 Southbound Section, on the Ohio River Bridges Project the activity was fast and furious. There were areas that needed to be paved and concrete forms that needed building in order to stay on schedule and have it open for traffic by Sunday night.

In some of the following photos of the I-65 Southbound Section you will see areas that were almost completed and had the yellow and white traffic lane lines in place. In others the people were hard at work putting the finishing touches on their work.

Everyone was working long hours on the I-65 Southbound Section as the schedule was for 24 hours a day so the crews were constantly moving. In this group of photos you can see the amount of progress that was made in a single day. I was there early in the morning to catch the first light of day and returned in early evening to capture the progress and take advantage of the sunset light in the sky and clouds.

All the images in this post are HDR images from three frame bracket sets of +2, 0 and -2 EV exposures that were then merged in NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 and finished with Aperture 3. Using HDR techniques allows me to capture the broad dynamic range that exists at these times of day and to then use the tone mapping tools to reveal details in the shadows while also capturing the vibrance in the clouds and sky.

Looking north on the new section of southbound I-65
Looking north on the new section of southbound I-65

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Looking north on the new section of southbound I-65 near Witherspoon Street just before it was opened to traffic.
Looking north on the new section of southbound I-65 near Witherspoon Street just before it was opened to traffic.

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Looking south on the new section of southbound I-65 near Witherspoon Street just before it was opened to traffic.
Looking south on the new section of southbound I-65 near Witherspoon Street just before it was opened to traffic.

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Looking north on the new section of southbound I-65 #2
Looking north on the new section of southbound I-65 #2

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Looking north on the new section of southbound I-65 #2
Looking north on the new section of southbound I-65 #2

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It’s Independence Day!

Posted on by Nick Roberts

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BOOM!
BOOM!

Today is Independence Day here in the USA. Rather than go out to a fireworks show tonight I decided to share these shots from last year’s fireworks in Waterfront Park in Louisville.

Cosmic Dust
Cosmic Dust
Green Hornet
Green Hornet
Pink and Green Nucleus
Pink and Green Nucleus
Flaming Flower
Flaming Flower
A Star is Born.
A Star is Born.
The Crowd Goes OOH LA LA
The Crowd Goes OOH LA LA
Technicolor Dreamboat
Technicolor Dreamboat

Think Tank Photo Special June Program

Posted on by Nick Roberts

Our friends at Think Tank Photo just announced a special program for June, as well as the release of three new products.  Don’t forget that with our partnership with Think Tank whenever you order $50 or more of gear from them you will receive free gear with your order.

Shape-Shifter-7
Shape-Shifter-7

TEST DRIVE A SHAPE SHIFTER BACKPACK FOR FREE!

Between now and June 30th you can test drive one of Think Tank’s award-winning Shape Shifter backpacks for free for two weeks.  This revolutionary breakthrough in camera backpack design expands and contracts to fit your equipment.  It carries monopods and tripods in the bottom front pocket, features a contoured harness for men and women with air channel, holds a full assortment of photo gear and a laptop up to 17”, and compresses to 3 inches in depth when gear is removed.

If you wish to test a Shape Shifter for free for two weeks you must place your order by phoning 866-558-4465 ext. 1 and give them my special code number, which is ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­AP-814.  If you don’t wish to keep the Shape Shifter you can return it to Think Tank and you won’t be charged for the backpack. 

Airport Roller Derby
Airport Roller Derby

http://www.thinktankphoto.com/affiliates.aspx?code=AP-814

FOUR-WHEELED ROLLING CAMERA BAG

The Airport Roller Derby is ideal for travel, weddings and on-location assignments.  It enables you to maneuver nimbly through crowded spaces and to minimize muscle fatigue. This high-capacity carry-on camera bag’s weight distribution allows for easily transporting a 15” laptop in its own dedicated pocket, along with two standard DSLRs, a tripod, and multiple lenses and strobes. Its travel-ready security features including a lock & cable and lockable zippers to tether the bag for domestic and international travel.

My 2nd Brain Briefcase 15 inch
My 2nd Brain Briefcase 15 inch

http://www.thinktankphoto.com/affiliates.aspx?code=AP-814

TWO NEW LAPTOP BRIEFCASES FOR YOUR MOBILE OFFICE

The My 2nd Brain Briefcase 13 and My 2nd Brain Briefcase 15improve the workflow by keeping your second brains–your laptops and accessories–organized and your workflow clutter-free. These lightweight, full-featured briefcases include easily identifiable dedicated clear padded pockets designed to hold the accessories most often used by serious Apple users.  Their travel-ready design includes two compressible side pockets for water bottles or a compact umbrella, as well as a pass-through handle that slides over a rolling luggage handle. They come with their own rain cover, providing extra protection against the elements.

http://www.thinktankphoto.com/affiliates.aspx?code=AP-814

Sam’s Volvo Build

Posted on by Nick Roberts
Sam's Passion Black and White HDR version
Sam’s Passion Black and White HDR version

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This photo of my friend Sam was taken when he was building a Volvo streetrod in 2013. Sam is an incredibly talented car builder with several cars to his name. He usually chooses cars that other folks ignore for one reason or another. His past projects include a Ford Anglia, Nash Rambler, 53 Willys Hardtop, 60 Ford Falcon and a 60s Studebaker Lark. His reputation for sound construction has people lining up to buy his creations even before they are finished. Sam likes them “loud and nasty” and he usually manages to stuff a V-8 into these small cars.

Sam’s passion is chassis engineering and he likes to work with unibody cars. This Volvo was the latest one to roll out his shop door and like all most of his previous builds it was sold in a matter of days. I always enjoy a visit to his garage because I never know what he’s going to tackle next. The night I shot this image he was totally engrossed in what he was working on and that gave me a chance to shoot without his knowing what I was shooting.

This image is a black and white conversion of a color HDR image that I converted using Aperture 3. All adjustments were done with the tools in Aperture 3 which is still my favorite image editing software. I entered it last night in the Louisville Photographic Society monthly competition for “People Working” and it took First Prize.

Sam's Passion Color HDR Version
Sam’s Passion Color HDR Version

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I am including the color HDR version that I used to show the difference that the two processes have on the same image. This image is from a three frame bracket set of +2, 0 and -2 EV exposures that I merged using NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 and completed in Aperture 3.

Sam at work on his Volvo Project.
Sam at work on his Volvo Project.

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Sam's Garage in Black and White
Sam’s Garage in Black and White

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I’ll finish this post with another color HDR image that I processed as a black and white using a preset in NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 that I adjusted to my taste. One thing to notice is the way that HDR allowed me to expose for the shadows in the garage and also expose another frame that allowed the fence and the outdoors to render in the final image.