Category: Waterfront Park

Texture Tuesday

Posted on April 2, 2013 by Nick Roberts

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These images are detail shots of the massive nuts that are at the junction of the bridge spans. The nuts are at least 12 inches in diameter and when I first noticed them I wondered how big the wrench must have been that was used to tighten them. They are visible at the ends of each bridge span where it connects to the next span. They are down behind the curb; you can also see that the handrail looks different where it goes past them.

These images are single exposures that were first tone mapped in NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 them taken into Color Efex Pro 4 where I used the detail extractor preset to emphasize the texture on the surfaces. I then returned them to Aperture 3 where I adjusted vibrance, contrast and sharpening.

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This image went through the same post processing routine as the one above. These colors are all there it just takes opening your mind and eyes to see them when you are photographing them. I don’t change the colors in my images but I do enhance their luminance when I get them into my digital darkroom.

The next time you are up on the Big Four Bridge take a look at these connectors. If you bring your camera try to remember that there is more to shoot on the Big Four Bridge than sunsets and bridge architecture; look for images in the textures and juxtapositions of surfaces that are all around you.

Combining Different Maker’s Software

Posted on March 27, 2013 by Nick Roberts

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Last night I was playing around with some images I shot last week from the Big Four Bridge at sunset. I was intrigued by the patterns that the lights cast on the deck and how they contrasted with the somber sky above. The images were all created from three frame bracket sets of, -2, 0, +2 Exposure Values. The artificial lights on the ramp were set to red and I thought I would experiment with the resulting photos after merging and tone mapping them in NIK HDR Efex Pro 2. For this image I took the HDR image into Aperture 3 and adjusted several sliders in the exposure, enhance and sharpening panels before loading it into OnOne Perfect Effects where I added a vignette. The OnOne suite is another iceberg that I have barely seen the tip of; the range of effects that are available and the ability to combine them in layers within the software leads to an infinite range of looks to explore. Anything you build up in the layers can be exported as a custom preset which you can then apply to similar images and get consistent results.

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This image is another HDR that I merged in NIK HDR Efex Pro 2. I was pleasantly surprised by how the colors of the red lights combined with the silvery blue of the overhead LED lights to create such an incredible color palette. I kept the anti-ghosting set at 20% which allowed the fast moving clouds to soften and blur as well as keeping the lone runner on the bridge in a state of motion too. I used Photoshop CS5 to do some lens correction and straightening to the image before finishing it with Aperture 3.

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This image too is a three frame HDR but in this case I stayed within NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 to enhance and play around with the colors before taking it into Aperture 3 where I further altered them with the Vibrance slider. After that I simply sharpened the image and adjusted the horizon using the straighten tool in Aperture 3.

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This final image is also an HDR with some OnOne adjustments and final finishing in Aperture 3. I’m beginning to discover more and more ways that combining different software from different makers can open more avenues of expression in my photography.

On a similar note there seems to be a price war going on right now between the software makers, NIK has some incredible pricing like their entire Suite for $149.00, you can add in a 15% additional discount if you use the discount code MOATS at checkout. OnOne is having a spring sale at 40% off; you can see what they are offering by clicking on the OnOne Banner in the sidebar on this page. Topaz hasn’t announced anything yet but I suspect they will be joining in on this discount war soon. There is also a link for Topaz in the sidebar. I am an affiliate for OnOne and Topaz so clicking on the banners allows me to earn a small commission should you decide to order anything.

One more plug here is for my good friends at Outdoor Photo Gear whose banner is also in the sidebar. These guys and gals are the friendliest and most knowledgable photo gear suppliers I have ever done business with. They run specials all the time and I would recommend you take a look at their site too.

End of the Deck Pour

Posted on March 15, 2013 by Nick Roberts

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This shot is from the day that the T & C Construction crew completed pouring the concrete veneer on the Big Four Bridge. This was the culmination of the task of getting the deck in place and one of the major milestones on the project. The Bidwell concrete paving machine in the air had to be reengineered and modified to work within the confines of the bridge. Because it’s original purpose was to be used for highways and highway bridges it was too wide for the Big Four Bridge. Willie and his crew figured out a way to narrow it to fit the bridge and designed a new roller system that could use the bridge’s curb to position the machine. This is another facet of the problem solving and ingenuity that the construction crew had to do on a daily basis that the casual observer isn’t aware of.

I shot this as a single frame and completed all processing within Aperture 3. As you can see by the angle of the shadows it was getting late in the day which gave me some great light to work with that saturated the colors and boosted the contrast.

Speeddemon2 Photography Partners with Waterfront Development Corporation

Posted on February 27, 2013 by Nick Roberts

For the past six months I have been very fortunate to be granted the opportunity to showcase the Louisville Waterfront Park and it’s latest addition the Big Four Bridge. The “Crown Jewel” of the park was the conversion of the abandoned Big Four Railway Bridge which has now been rescued from it’s former status as “The Bridge to Nowhere” and given new life as an intercity/interstate connection for pedestrians and bicyclists in Louisville Kentucky and Jeffersonville Indiana. I recorded not only the final five months of the construction project but also the men who did the hard physical labor that it required. Throughout that time I created a photographic record of these men, their names and their accomplishments, which is going into the Waterfront Development Corp. archives.

My goal, from the first day I set foot on the project, was to record and preserve the faces and the names of these men so that future generations would know who they were and what they looked like. I feel that too often in our society we overlook the contribution that labor makes to the success of great civic projects like Waterfront Park; I envisioned an archive that would allow them to be remembered as a significant part of the history of the Big Four Bridge. Their dedication to their trades as Ironworkers, Carpenters, Equipment Operators, Laborers and Bridge Builders shows in every facet of the bridge. I hope that their pride in, and love for, the Big Four Bridge will never be forgotten and that in some small way my photos will celebrate these men.

From my involvement with this aspect of Louisville Waterfront Park I decided that I wanted to stay involved with the park and continue to share my images of Louisville Waterfront Park with the City of Louisville. When Ms. Margaret Walker asked if I was interested in a continued partnership with the Waterfront Development Corporation I immediately said yes. After conferring with the President of the Waterfront Development Corporation, Mr. David Karem, and Ms. Walker we agreed that I would continue to record and share my images of the continued evolution of the park and the activities that take place there with the Waterfront Development Corporation and the public through the Waterfront Park Photo Archives.

Yesterday Margaret Walker announced our partnership with the following press release:

“The Waterfront Development Corporation is pleased to partner with photographer Nick Roberts on his photo documentation of the workings of Waterfront Park. Nick’s series of photos of the last five months of construction of the Big Four Pedestrian/Bicycle Bridge are an invaluable resource and an important addition to Waterfront Park’s photo archives. We look forward to continuing this partnership as Nick captures an ongoing behind-the-scenes look at Waterfront Park construction, operation and events.”

I look forward with anticipation to the future of Louisville Waterfront Park and the opportunity to share my images and feelings with my fellow Louisvillians for years to come.

Snow in Waterfront Park

Posted on February 21, 2013 by Nick Roberts

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No HDR here just a good exposure processed in Aperture 3. This image relies on composition as it’s strong suit. The repetition of curves in the ramp, ramp shadow and shoreline are set against the strong geometry of the bridge, concrete veranda and the skyline as well as the linear pattern of the trees in the swing garden.

Louisville Waterfront Park in the Snow #2

This image is also a single frame without any HDR processing applied. It was also processed exclusively in Aperture 3. Once again the composition is balanced between the strong linear elements of the concrete veranda and the rows of trees in the swing garden set against the curves of the shoreline, ramp and the ramp’s shadow.