Category: Construction Photography

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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Ironworkers in Black and White

Posted on by Nick Roberts
Ironworkers Placing the Bridge Decking
Ironworkers Placing the Bridge Decking

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I decided to try some black and white images of Ironworkers today. The image above is from The Ohio River Bridges Project.  Nothing fancy just used Aperture 3 for conversion to black and white of a HDR image that I had done in the past.

Jack Alpha on top of the Big Four Bridge
Jack Alpha on top of the Big Four Bridge

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Jack Alpha is an Ironworker with T&C Construction who was working on top of the Big Four Bridge when I shot this image. I converted it to black and white in Aperture 3 using a single frame. This isn’t HDR but I still think it is full of detail.

Journeymen and Apprentices

Posted on by Nick Roberts
The Journeyman Ironworker and the Apprentice #1
The Journeyman Ironworker and the Apprentice #1

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One of the wonderful things about photographing construction work is seeing Journeyman of the many Skilled Trades that are teaching Apprentices the skills they need to be qualified trades people. The history of the Skilled Trades is filled with the accumulated knowledge that generations of earlier tradespeople have shared with their Apprentices. By sharing their experience with an Apprentice a Journeyman provides continuity and pride in the ability to master a trade.

The Journeyman Ironworker and the Apprentice #2
The Journeyman Ironworker and the Apprentice #2

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An Apprentice faces unknown tasks that, unless they have been properly trained, could result in an inferior result. The Journeyman doesn’t do the task but instead instructs and verifies that the Apprentice learns the proper tools and procedures to follow when they have earned their own Journeyman’s card. In time today’s Apprentice becomes experienced enough to qualify for a Journeyman’s Card and completes the cycle by taking an Apprentice of their own to mentor and share the skills of the trade with.

The Journeyman Ironworker and the Apprentice #3
The Journeyman Ironworker and the Apprentice #3

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Watching this young woman learn the proper way to complete the task of installing bridge decking is one of the great things being a construction photographer. Photographing them working together allowed me to see the way skilled Journeymen can make a difference in someone else’s life. As they joked and kidded one another they also were developing a bond that will last a lifetime for both of them. The Apprentice learned how to secure decking in a way that insured that it was properly installed and the Journeyman had to feel a sense of pride in sharing his skills with her.

The Journeyman Carpenter and the Apprentice
The Journeyman Carpenter and the Apprentice

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As with the Ironworker’s trade the Carpenter’s Union also trains new Carpenters through the Apprenticeship model. The process is the same though; a Journeyman Carpenter trains and instructs the Apprentice in the skills he or she will need to earn their own Journeyman’s card and join the ranks of Journeyman Carpenters going back generations in time.

All four of the images in this post are three frame bracket sets of +2, 0 and -2 EV exposures that have been merged in NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 software and finished with Aperture 3.All required strong anti-ghosting application due to the movement of the men and women as they went about their tasks. The anti-ghosting feature in NIK HDR EFex Pro 2 is by far the best I have used and remains the main reason I prefer it to any of the other HDR apps on the market today.

Frank Lobody Repairing A Drill Shaft at the Ohio River Bridges Project

Posted on by Nick Roberts
Frank Lobody, Mechanic, International Union of Operating Engineers repairing a drill shaft for the BG-40 Drilling Machine. #1
Frank Lobody, Mechanic, International Union of Operating Engineers repairing a drill shaft for the BG-40 Drilling Machine at the Ohio River Bridges Project in Louisville, Kentucky May 2014

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Today’s images are of Frank Lobody, a mechanic for Walsh Construction, who travels from job site to job site throughout the US to handle heavy equipment repairs. Frank is a member of the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 150 in Porter, Indiana. When I met Frank he was repairing a drill shaft for the BG-40 Drilling Machine being used in Louisville to drill into the bedrock for the bridge piers on the Ohio River Bridges Project.

Frank Lobody, Mechanic, International Union of Operating Engineers repairing a drill shaft for the BG-40 Drilling Machine. #2
Frank Lobody, Mechanic, International Union of Operating Engineers welding on a drill shaft for the BG-40 Drilling Machine. 

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The bedrock on the Ohio River Bridges Project is very hard and sometimes the drill shaft breaks under the load of trying to drill over 30 feet into it. Once the bridge pier casings are placed through the soil down to the bedrock it is necessary to drill a socket 30 feet into rock to anchor the piers. On the Kentucky side of the river that means drilling almost 150 feet from the surface to the bottom of the socket.

Frank Lobody, Mechanic, International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 150, Porter, Indiana
Frank Lobody, Mechanic, International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 150, Porter, Indiana

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All three of these HDR images were processed from a three frame bracket set of +2, 0 and -2 EV exposures using NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 and Aperture 3 software.

 

Viewing the Ohio River Bridges Project from the Tower Crane on Pier Four

Posted on by Nick Roberts

Several photographs from inside the mast of the tower crane on the Ohio River Bridges Project in Louisville, Kentucky being built by Walsh Construction