Tag: High dynamic range imaging

HDR Workshop Scheduled for June 13-14, 2014

Posted on by Nick Roberts
Parkland Morning
Parkland Morning

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Have you wondered about how you can use HDR in your photographic workflow? Are you baffled by all the conflicting information you have heard? Do you want to create photos that reflect your vision and feel for your images?

If you answered yes to any or all those questions then my HDR Workshop is for you. Participants will learn the “Why” of HDR photography and “How” to create images that reflect your own personal style. In this workshop you will work on source images I provide as you learn how to become comfortable using NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 software as your initial processing tool.

If you are already using NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 you will achieve confidence in it’s use and discover some of the ways that I use it to create hyper-realistic images that avoid the cliched over-sharpened, grungy and garish images that so many new HDR users get. I’ll explain in detail why I think NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 is the best HDR app available today and how it compares to it’s many competitors.

If you’re ready to explore the fascinating world of HDR then by all means enroll today and start your own personal journey into the wonderful world of HDR photography with the skills you need. My workshops are very hands on affairs where everyone brings their laptop and camera and actually uses the software. You will not be simply sitting there watching me point and click my way through the process; you will be actively participating as you explore the interface and see firsthand what a given adjustment does.

Use the link below to enroll and master the use of NIK HDR Efex Pro 2. If the link isn’t working simply copy and paste the url into your browser and that should do the trick.

http://outdoorphotogear.ticketleap.com/hdr-photography-nick-roberts/details

If you have any questions please use the contact form below to reach me.

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The Surveyor… William Moylan

Posted on by Nick Roberts
A Surveyor and a Carpenter discuss their next move while setting up forms on a pier near River Road in Jeffersonville, Indiana.
A Surveyor and a Carpenter discuss their next move while setting up forms on a pier near River Road in Jeffersonville, Indiana.

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The Surveyor in this image is William Moylan. I met William last year while he was surveying the placement of a caisson in pier 6 during it’s installation. I shot some photos of him that morning and ultimately chose one for a blog post. William saw the photo and thanked me for sharing it with the world. At the time he said to me that no one ever takes pictures of the surveyor. Later as we got to know each other he told me that his Mom in Ireland was able to see what he did for a living and the job he was working on because of that photo.

I was waiting for the crew boat yesterday when I saw William and a Carpenter working together. I liked the angle that I had and started shooting them discussing the task they were both working on. In this image they are making plans for William to ride up in the aerial lift to check the platform being placed for a hammerhead form that the carpenters are building on pier 8.

A Carpenter in aerial lift installing and leveling the floor for a hammerhead form on pier 8.
A Carpenter in an aerial lift installing and leveling the floor for a hammerhead form on pier 8.

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In this image you can see the floor of the hammerhead form that William and the Carpenter are leveling. William has climbed out onto the form floor with his measuring equipment and the Carpenter is moving into place underneath the form to make leveling adjustments.

Both of these images are three frame bracket sets of +2, 0 and -2 EV exposures that have been merged in NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 and finished in Aperture 3. For the top image I had to sue 100% anti-ghosting to eliminate the ghosting of the figures. In the second image I was able to get by with only 60% anti-ghosting. My advice regarding anti-ghosting is to strive for the lowest amount you can use in order to minimize halos and still achieve a reasonable final result.

Work On Southbound I-65 Bridges and Roadway Progresses

Posted on by Nick Roberts
Ironworker welding metal bridge decking supports on southern I-65 bridge over Main Street.
Ironworker welding metal bridge decking supports on southern I-65 bridge over Main Street.

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The southbound I-65 work is progressing well as the Walsh Construction crews build the new bridges and roadway that will replace the old I-65 infrastructure. In this photo you can see the steel bridge decking being installed in the center of the image while an Ironworker welds the supporting angle iron in place. I chose this image because I like the way the figures are arranged from the foreground through the frame. I also like the way the welding arc is sparking and the way the welder is positioned in the image.

As in most of my work this too is a HDR image created from a three frame bracket set of +2, 0 and -2 EV exposures. I had to use an anti-ghosting setting of 100% in NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 to address the many different poses the figures were in between frames. The ability to shoot handheld images of people movin

Ironworkers installing metal bridge decking on southern I-65 bridge over Main Street.
Ironworkers installing metal bridge decking on southern I-65 bridge over Main Street.

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This second image also shows the Ironworkers welding and placing the steel bridge decking. The decking will support the concrete during the pouring of the roadway after the Ironworkers place reinforcing rebar across the completed bridge deck prior to pouring of the concrete. Once again you can see the power of the NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 anti-ghosting feature, especially in the way it has rendered the woman’s leg as she kicks the steel decking into place. As in the previous image I had to use a setting of 100% anti-ghosting in order to freeze the action and avoid ghosting artifacts.

Concrete bridge beams for I-65 South over Slugger Field area approaching Main Street.
Concrete bridge beams for I-65 South over Slugger Field area approaching Main Street.

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I really liked the way the pre-stressed concrete bridge beams cast their shadows on the ground below them and the strong movement their placement gave to this image. This is also near Slugger Field where the new roadway is taking shape overhead. Once these bridges and roadways are completed traffic will be moved over onto this new roadway and demolition will begin on the old southbound I-65 infrastructure which will be replaced with new bridges and roadway. Once again I followed my normal HDR workflow of NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 and Aperture 3 processing.

Concrete bridge beams for I-65 South over Slugger Field area approaching Main Street. #2
Concrete bridge beams for I-65 South over Slugger Field area approaching Main Street. #2

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This final image in today’s post is once again from beneath the concrete bridge beams for the new southbound I-65. I shot this using my 12-24 mm Nikkor lens and decided to take it into Photoshop CS5 after merging the bracket set in order to correct the lens distortion inherent in such a wide angle shot. This too is a HDR image created from a three handheld frame bracket set merged in NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 and finished in Aperture 3.

HDR Image of 127 Feet Tall Caisson

Posted on by Nick Roberts
This caisson is 127 feet tall and weighs over 170,000 pounds.
This caisson is 127 feet tall and weighs over 170,000 pounds.

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Last Wednesday the Ironworkers placed a 12 foot diameter, 127 foot tall caisson in the pier near the Kentucky shore. It weighed over 170,000 pounds and was going in one of the deepest piers of the project. Watching them lift it from a horizontal position into a vertical position was amazing. It took two cranes to do it and the coordination required was incredible.

This HDR image is from a three frame handheld bracket set consisting of +2, 0 and -2 EV exposures. I took the three frames into NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 where I merged them and applied the Balanced preset. While there I set the Detail slider to accentuated and the Drama slider to deep. In order to suppress some serious halos that were showing up along the vertical elements in the sky I reduced the Method strength slider until the halos were gone. I then took the merged file back into Aperture 3 for final adjustments to colors, sharpening and contrast.

 

HDR Construction Images of a Morning in November 2013

Posted on by Nick Roberts
Ironworkers from Local 70 preparing rigging on a caisson for the Ohio River Bridges Project in Louisville KY
Ironworkers from Local 70 preparing rigging on a caisson for the Ohio River Bridges Project in Louisville KY

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Today’s post is rather long on images yet short on words. I decided that what I wanted to show my readers was a series of several HDR construction images from a morning in November 2013. I thought sharing these HDR images from a single morning shoot would help my readers see how busy things are on the Ohio River Bridges Project.

I am always amazed at the skill and expertise that is required to do the work of Heavy Highway and Bridge Construction. Ironworkers, Carpenters and Operating Engineers must choreograph so many moves into placing the pieces of a single pier. The skill and commitment  to safety that they use to get the massive components in place is a sign of their professionalism and dedication to their respective trades. Any miscalculation when handling these pieces could result in slowing or stopping construction or even worse the very real possibility of the loss of someone’s life. For that reason the attention paid to properly performing each element in the process is paramount to safely accomplishing the task at hand.

Ironworker Local 70 member Travis tying rebar on a caisson. #2
Ironworker Local 70 member Travis attaching rigging to a caisson. #2

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Ironworker Local 70 member Travis tying rebar on a caisson.
Ironworkers Local 70 member Travis attaching rigging to the caisson.

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Crane booms in the sky
Crane booms in the sky.

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Ironworkers Sean and Travis rigging the caisson for the pick and placement in the pier casing. #2
Ironworkers Sean and Travis rigging the caisson for the pick and placement in the pier casing. #2

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Ironworkers Sean and Travis rigging the caisson for the pick and placement in the pier casing.
Ironworkers Sean and Travis rigging the caisson for the pick and placement in the pier casing.

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Starting the pick of the caisson as Travis and Sean stand by.
Starting the pick of the caisson as Travis stands by and Sean communicates with the crane operator through hand signs.

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Early morning on the Indiana Approach
Early morning on the Indiana Approach.

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Apprentice Carpenter Escarlett learning how to use a cutting torch.
Apprentice Carpenter, Escarlett, learning how to use a cutting torch.

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Placing a Caisson in the pier casing
Placing a Caisson in the pier casing on the Indiana approach of the downtown span.

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Placing a Caisson in the pier casing on the Indiana approach of the downtown span. #2
Placing a Caisson in the pier casing on the Indiana approach of the downtown span. #2

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Rigging the caisson for picking.
Sean and Travis rigging the caisson for picking.

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Sean and Travis rigging the caisson for picking. #2
Sean and Travis rigging the caisson for picking. #2

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I hope these HDR construction images help reveal the size and scope of the Ohio River Bridges Project as well as the my admiration for the skilled tradesmen and tradeswomen who perform these critical tasks. I also hope that the next time you see a construction site or meet a construction worker you will see their contribution to our way of life and the valuable part they play in building the world. Maybe you’ll even have a little more understanding of the important role that organized labor plays in providing skilled professionals that construct safe and dependable infrastructure for our world.

One final note about these images. All of the images in this post were created from three exposure bracket sets of +2, 0 and -2 EV exposures. They were merged in NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 and finished in Aperture 3. I use NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 because it does the best job I have found of reducing, and in most cases eliminating, ghosting when working with active subjects such as the men and women in these images. I finish the merged images in Aperture 3 because it allows me to control all the other variables such as color, contrast, sharpening etc in a non-destructive workflow.