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This is a three frame bracket set HDR image processed in NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 with 60% anti-ghosting applied. It was very breezy when I shot the bracket set but the anti-ghosting did a respectable job of merging the three exposures. As is my usual work flow I finished the image in Aperture 3.
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I think one of my favorite parts of Louisville Waterfront Park is the Swing Garden. I like the peaceful feeling that it instills in me as I gently swing and watch the river or listen to the sounds of the city humming in the air. I especially like to be there in the morning when there aren’t many other people using it. The geometric design of the plantings and the landscape elements as well as the man made structures take on so many different aspects as the sun rises and shadows play across the garden.
As usual I shot a three frame bracket which I merged in NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 and finished in Aperture 3. I used the Deep 1 preset which I dialed back slightly in NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 before making some vibrance, contrast and sharpening adjustments in Aperture 3.
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Sometimes simple is better….
I like using NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 for preparing black and white images. Using the bracketed exposures really helps intensify the textures and contrasts within an image. After merging the three exposures -2, 0, and +2 EV I returned the image to Aperture 3 where I applied a B&W setting with a blue filter. Some sharpening and contrast adjustments were applied and a slight vignette was used to finish the image.
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Yesterday morning I was in Louisville Waterfront Park for some early morning shooting. I was trying to find fresh points to view the park and had been in the kid’s playground trying to see the park from their viewpoint. As I walked toward the river I caught sight of the U of L Women’s Rowing Team practicing. They were just downriver heading back upstream. Their support boat was with them as well but I didn’t want it in the shot so I waited until the scull just passed the observation deck and shot a three frame bracket set. A moment later the support boat entered the scene and I wound up with only three exposure of this scene.
I processed the three images in NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 but I needed to deal with some ghosting that the boat’s movement was causing. I first applied 20% anti-ghosting but that didn’t fully eliminate the ghosts; I went through 40% and 60% settings but at 60% the trees in the foreground began to halo badly. I settled on 40% anti-ghosting which was all I needed. I also changed the reference image in several versions before settling on the 0 EV frame. The other frames exhibited more ghosting than the 0 EV exposure.
I find the anti-ghosting adjustment to be one I spend a great deal of time experimenting with whenever I am dealing with images that have a lot of movement between frames. The tendency is to only look at the section where the movement is the greatest and work to minimize that issue. What I am discovering is that it is also important to look at the objects that are static too and watch out for haloing around them as I balance how much anti-ghosting to apply.
I applied the Deep 1 preset and them nade some minor adjustments there to Tonality before returning the image to Aperture 3 for my final adjustments.
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Yesterday was a day of celebration in Waterfront Park. The sun was shining, birds were chirping, kids were running and jumping, music filled the air and a peaceful vibe hung over the amphitheater as young and old celebrated the Mighty Kindness Earth Day Hoot. There were all sorts of new age booths, handmade jewelry, artisan pottery, vegan foods, drum circles and live music on stage. Everyone seemed to be enjoying the event and taking advantage of another of Waterfront Park’s wonderful features.
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These girls seemed to be having a great time whooping and hollering in the spring sunshine.
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This was a sign that people were asked to express their feelings for the river on; as you can read there were all sorts of thoughts in the air.
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