Category: Fine Art Photo

Bridge Piling ala Cadillac Ranch in HDR

Posted on by Nick Roberts
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.

HDR Images of a Winter Day in The Parklands of Floyd’s Fork

Posted on by Nick Roberts
Red Barn in Winter in an Ice coated landscape in The Parklands of Floyd's Fork
Red Barn in Winter in HDR

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This image is an HDR image captured in The Parklands of Floyd’s Fork in Louisville Kentucky. The trees and landscape were covered in ice which was creating a magical prismatic sparkle when the sun shown on them. I wanted to capture those colors and in making that attempt learned just how difficult that is.

As I reviewed the images back in my studio I could see faint hints of the colors that were being reflected as the suns rays diffracted through the ice but nothing was as spectacular as what I saw in person. I realized that my human experience was much more intense than my camera could record. Even with that discovery I’m still happy with these HDR images that resulted from that shoot.

Frozen Wetlands in The Parklands of Floyd's Fork
Frozen wetlands in The Parklands of Floyd’s Fork

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I especially liked the way the sun was illuminating the tree line while a cloud was shading the foreground in this image. The reflections on the ice around the vegetation are a nice way to bring the light forward in the scene while still reinforcing the sense of cold in the photo.

This image is also HDR and I think it really shows how extending the dynamic range through shooting brackets for HDR, with a strongly backlit subject, can capture a broad enough dynamic range to render the scene.

Winter scene of ice and bridge
Floyd’s Fork flowing under a bridge in The Parklands.

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When I’m shooting landscapes I like to include man made structures in the scene to show how they can exist in harmony with the natural environment. This bridge abutment with it’s strong geometric forms contrasts nicely with the flowing water of Floyd’s Fork. The bridge itself forma a frame to the sunlight’s reflection on the water. The railing along the top contrasts and reinforces the ice coated branches rising above it too.

This too is another case where the use of HDR technique in shooting, a three exposure bracket two stops apart, and HDR processing allowed me to capture information in the shadows as well as in the highlights. The extremely wide dynamic range of this scene could not have been captured as easily, if at all, with a single exposure. That is the main reason I totally embrace HDR photography even when I’m striving for strong realism in my images.

Ice coated landscape in The Parklands of Floyd's Fork
Ice coated landscape in The Parklands of Floyd’s Fork

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I liked this landscape because the sun was filtering through the trees creating a starburst of light while casting strong shadows across the landscape. As in several of these HDR images the HDR techniques of shooting and processing allowed me to capture the feeling of cold while gathering enough detail to make the image interesting.

Winter Sunset in The Parklands of Floyd's Fork
Winter Sunset in The Parklands of Floyd’s Fork

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I like the contrast of the complimentary colors of oranges and blues that are a major component of this composition. As in all of today’s images the use of HDR was the determining factor in the success of this shoot.

In closing today I’d like to say that whatever your feelings about HDR photography it has a place in photography. If you haven’t explored high dynamic range photography you are missing a valuable method that can open new vistas and expand your vision. Go on give it a try you too may find it is a wonderful tool that will allow you to express yourself in ways you have never before found possible.

 

 

Waterfront Park Winter in HDR

Posted on by Nick Roberts
Louisville Skyline and the Ohio River Shoreline in Winter
HDR Winter Sunset Louisville Skyline and the Ohio River Shoreline in Winter

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Last week I decided to see what Waterfront Park looked like after several days of sub-zero weather and a couple of snow storms had blanketed the park. I wanted to emphasize the feeling of the coldness and crispness that winter on the Ohio River produces. I chose to shoot the above image because it seemed to encompass so many elements that identify the city and at the same time reinforce the brittleness and chill that was in the air. I was drawn to the complimentary colors of the gold in the sunset and the blue shadows on the shoreline. The river had been dropping for several days and there were shelves of ice layered one above the other at the river’s edge.

I knew going in that I was going to make these images as HDR images and shot my customary bracket set of three exposures at +2, 0 and -2 EV. I merged the three files into one high dynamic range image using NIK HDR Efex Pro 2. After merging them I applied the Balanced preset, adjusted the Detail slider to Accentuated and the Drama slider to Deep before returning the merged file to Aperture 3 for final processing. I chose to make these images in HDR because there was such a broad dynamic range in the scene from very dark areas along the shore to sunlight streaming through the bridge and around the skyline in the back of the images. Whenever there is such a wide dynamic range I find HDR processing allows me to show the scene as I saw it during my shooting.

Winter Evening in the Swing Garden
Winter Evening in the Swing Garden

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 This second image is also a three frame bracket set taken much later in the evening. I was hoping to convey the quietness and solitude that a winter evening in Waterfront Park offers to those who venture there in January. I liked the way the street lamps illuminated the pathways and the shadows they cast across the ground. The lights on the Kennedy Bridge in the background are direct color compliments to the cobalt sky and clouds while the muted greens and yellows of the grass and street lamps that occupy the middle and foreground carry the eye along toward the river.

My HDR processing for this image was very similar to the first image though I did spend a little more time adjusting the color channels to get the feeling that I experienced as I surveyed the scene and decided to capture it. As with the previous image my goal here was to reinforce the icy cold that we are experiencing this winter here in Louisville.

Strolling Under The Big Four Bridge in January
Under The Big Four Bridge in January

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I have been photographing the Big Four Bridge for several years and because of that I have to really study the scene to come up with something fresh to shoot. For this image I wanted to capture not only the beautiful sunset but also the snow on the ground and the feeling of winter. Once again the complimentary colors of the oranges of the sunset and the icy blue of the shadows were primary elements in my composition.

This image too is another high dynamic range image using NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 and Aperture 3 to process it. My goal with my HDR work is to present a realistic, if heightened, vision of natural and manmade elements that evoke strong feelings in the viewer.

 

 

 

 

 

Bright Blue Morning in Waterfront Park

Posted on by Nick Roberts
HDR Bright Blue Morning in Louisville
Bright Blue January Morning in Louisville

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This HDR image of Waterfront Park and the Ohio River was taken from the Big Four Bridge a couple of weeks ago. It was a cold crisp morning and the blue sky seemed Continue reading “Bright Blue Morning in Waterfront Park” →

The Ohio River Bridges Project in Early January

Posted on by Nick Roberts
Bright Blue January Morning
Bright Blue January Morning Overlooking The Ohio River Bridges Project

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This HDR image was taken from the Big Four Bridge a couple of weeks ago. It was a cold crisp morning and the blue sky reflected in the Ohio River was stunning. I framed the shot between Continue reading “The Ohio River Bridges Project in Early January” →