Tag: HDR

November Sunset

Ohio River Bridges Project at Sunset
Ohio River Bridges Project at Sunset

Click on the image to enlarge it in another window.

THis HDR image was taken from the Big Four Bridge approach ramp Wednesday evening. I went down to Waterfront Park to capture the sunset over the Walsh Construction Downtown Span section of the Ohio River Bridges Project and was hoping for a dramatic sky. As the sun was setting the clouds had already drifted off to the east and I was about to call it a bust when I saw that the few remaining clouds were picking up a gorgeous pink light. I set up my tripod and spent the next few minutes shooting the river and the city skyline. When I opened the images from the shoot in my computer I saw from the thumbnails that I had captured a solid composition that I liked in this bracket set. I like the way the small amount of handrail in the foreground adds depth to this image and the way the light from the street lamps is illuminating the trees along the walkway.

My processing was pretty straightforward using NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 to merge and align the bracket set and using the balanced preset to start my final processing in Aperture 3. It took a while to get the contrast and color to suit me but after a few minutes of experimenting I settled on this image.

Going Up!

The First Tower of the Downtown Span Rises Above the River
The First Tower of the Downtown Span Rises Above the River

Click on the image to enlarge it in another window.

This HDR image shows the base of the first tower being stripped of the concrete forms that were placed there last month. The concrete base is approximately 20 feet wide and 60 feet long and will serve as the base for one of the six towers that will be built to carry the bridge deck across the river. While the Carpenters are removing the orange forms from the base the Ironworkers are busy above them erecting the reinforcement rebar for the next part of the concrete tower to be poured.

I used a three frame bracket set of +2, 0 and -2 EV exposures that were merged in NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 with 100% anti-ghosting applied to stop the movement of the workers. After merging the three exposures I returned the image to Aperture 3 for sharpening and color adjustments.

Cranes As Far As I Can See….

Cranes As Far As I Can See....
Cranes As Far As I Can See….

Click on the image to enlarge it in another window.

I like this image because it shows how many cranes are being used to build the Ohio River Bridges Project. There are cranes on barges in the river and further back on the horizon there are more cranes building Spaghetti Junction. I was on the Indiana approach looking south into Louisville; I composed the image to take advantage of all the vertical elements in the scene.

I used my standard three frame bracket set and NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 to create this HDR image. After merging them I returned it to Aperture 3 for color adjustments and sharpening.

It Says Right Here…

It Says Right Here...
It Says Right Here…

Click on the image to enlarge it in another window.

This image is of David Morse, a member of the International Union of Operating Engineers, and the BG-40 Drilling Rig he is operating. The large drum with the teeth on it is a rock drill which is almost twelve feet in diameter. David is using it to drill thirty feet into the bedrock for the piers that will support the new Ohio River Bridge. David is quite a character and when he saw me photographing him he grabbed the book and acted as if he needed to read the manual to do his job. He could easily write the book himself given his vast experience operating drilling equipment.

I added a circular polarizer to my lens last week and it has really boosted the saturation in my exposures. I didn’t know what I was missing by not using the polarizer until I saw the RAW files I got from this shoot. I shot a three frame bracket set of +2, 0 and -2 EV exposures which I then opened in NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 and merged using 100% anti-ghosting to get a good portrait of David. I applied a preset I built myself for another project which really worked well with the images from this day’s shoot too.

One of the great things about shooting almost daily is that I learn more and more about getting the images I see in my mind with each new shoot. There is nothing that improves an artist’s work more than practice. My motto is practice, practice, practice and I often tell other photographers that practice is the best thing they can do if they hope to improve their skills and their images.

 

Red….

Red Winch
Red Winch

Click on the image to enlarge it in another window.

This winch is used on the crane barge to handle the post that are used to anchor it in the river after it is in place. I loved the color and shapes so I looked for a way to use it in a composition that shows the mid river job sites and the equipment that is needed out there.

Three frame handheld HDR image using NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 to merge and tone map the image before returning it to Aperture 3 for final adjustments.