Tag: Ironworker

Foggy Morning on the River Crossing Project

Posted on September 5, 2013 by Nick Roberts

Ironworker #2 — Loading Steel Onto The Construction Barge.

Click on the image to enlarge it in another window.

Yesterday morning the Ironworkers were loading more steel onto the barge they are building the caisson on. The caisson is the internal reinforcement for the bridge pier which will be lowered into the steel casing before the concrete is poured. The size and amount of steel that goes into one of these caissons is incredible. The horizontal elements in this caisson are at least two inches in diameter while the rings around it are close to one inch in diameter. Loading the steel onto the barge is a very controlled process that requires coordination among the ironworkers on the barge and the crane operator to accomplish safely and efficiently. The man in the photo is communicating with hand signals to the crane operator to lower the load onto the steel beams that will support it while it is on the barge deck.

I processed this image from a single frame using Topaz Clarity to reveal the colors in the scene and to show the river fog engulfing the Kennedy Bridge in the background. I find Topaz Clarity to be very good at allowing me to control the contrast and colors in an image while avoiding halos and artifacts that sometimes occur within these types of images. After applying the Topaz Clarity adjustment I returned the image to Aperture 3 where I adjusted the sharpening and applied a small vignette.

==========================================================

Download a free trial of Topaz Clarity at the link below and give it a try; I think you will agree it is a great addition to any photographer’s workflow. Plug-ins like Clarity really speed and simplify my post processing and allow me to experiment with different approaches to my images in a timely way without spending hours looking for just the right combination of adjustments and enhancements in Photoshop CS5. With a project as large as this one where I’m shooting nearly every day Topaz plug-ins allow me to maintain a relatively fast paced post processing workflow while still creating photos that reflect my feelings for the subject matter.

http://www.topazlabs.com/705.html

==========================================================

Ironworkers

Posted on July 12, 2013 by Nick Roberts

Click on the image to enlarge it in a separate window.

This series of images of Ironworkers is from the official Groundbreaking for the Downtown Span of the Louisville Bridges Project. After over twenty years of planning, revisions and indecision the new bridge to carry traffic over the Ohio River is finally underway. With a completion date of 2016 this is going to be a very intense and fast paced construction project. Not only will there be two new Ohio River Bridges built, one on the east end of Louisville connecting I-265 in Kentucky to I-265 in Indiana, there will be over 29 additional spans in the area known as “Spaghetti Junction” to connect the converging interstate highways of I-71, I-64 and I-65 to the new Ohio River Span.

I have decided to create a project that will focus not only on the bridge construction itself but more importantly on the skilled trades and laborers who will do the actual work of building the bridge and the many other structures that will be needed to see the project to completion. My goal with this endeavor will be to memorialize the contribution of the men and women whose hands are on the tools and give them a place in the history of this project. I hope to give faces and names to those who are making history and to leave behind a testament to them that their families and friends can go to to see them as they were building these bridges.

The first image today is of Dean Tharp the President of Ironworkers Local 70 as he and several other members attended the official groundbreaking ceremony. It is from a three frame bracket set of -2, 0 and +2 EV merged in NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 and finished in Aperture 3. I especially like the way the safety vests and t-shirts create a strong visual component in the composition as well as the detail of Dean’s tools which are the hallmark of Ironworkers everywhere. I also find the guy in the safety green shirt interesting because he is looking into the camera and is the only construction worker in safety green in the image. I think his posture and presence gives an added element to the overall composition.

Ironworker Local 70 members at official Groundbreaking for Downtown Bridge Louisville KY. — Ironworkers #1

Click on the image to enlarge it in a separate window.

This second image is a single frame of the three frame bracket set I was shooting that day. I chose to process it as a single frame because there was too much movement by the people in the scene for the anti-ghosting feature of NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 to resolve. I used the underexposed frame of +2 EV because it gave the best rendering of the clouds and because there was plenty of light in the shadows to be able to show the detail there too. I used Aperture 3 exclusively to process the image adjusting the individual color channels to achieve the level of saturation and luminance I wanted in the final image.

Dean Tharp President of Ironworkers Local 70 at Downtown Bridge Groundbreaking Ceremony — Confidence

Click on the image to enlarge it in a separate window.

This image of Dean Tharp is another single frame processed in Aperture 3 using the same techniques as the previous image.

Last Moments Alone on the Bridge

Posted on February 10, 2013 by Nick Roberts

Last Morning Alone With the Big Four Bridge

Click an image to open it enlarged in another window.

These images are some of the last images I shot of the Big Four Bridge before it opened to the public. It was a bittersweet moment as I stood there that morning looking at the finished project. I thought back to my first day up there and how much it had changed in the six months that had ensued.

I remembered how frightened I was as I first walked near the edge with only the safety cables to protect me. I thought back to my first view of the city from up there and how beautiful the Waterfront Park looked. I recalled the days when Tim took me up in the manlift to view the bridge from above, to see it just as he and the ironworkers saw it. I thought about the amazing transformation that took place after the handrails were installed and the railroad tracks were cut and stained into the deck.

Most of all I felt a loss for the day to day interaction with the men working there and knowing that I wouldn’t be likely to see many of them again on the bridge. Recalling my first interaction with the construction crew, how we became friends; how they would ask me where I had been if I wasn’t there one day.

The thing I will miss the most is to have been a part of the team that gave Louisville a wonderful gift, a fantastic experience that I may never have again. I will cherish this bridge and the company of the men who rescued it for the rest of my life. Whenever I go there or drive past there those guys will be in my thoughts and a smile will form.

Last Morning Alone with the Bridge. — Last Morning Alone with the Big Four Bridge #2

Both of these images are multiple exposures, three frames each, merged in HDR Efex Pro 2 and finished in Aperture 3. I shot the bracket set handheld at +2, 0 and -2 EV which was possible mainly because it was such a bright day and the shutter speed was high. I have begun to employ the bracketing feature on my Nikon D90 more and more when shooting HDR. I find it allows me to focus my attention on the framing of the image more easily. It also frees me from my tripod when I’m on the move or the situation doesn’t favor using a tripod. The only downside I have found is that these bursts of images sometimes overwhelm the camer’s processor and slow down my shooting.

Big Four Bridge Opening Thursday 02-07-2013

Posted on February 6, 2013 by Nick Roberts

Click any image to open it enlarged in another window.

I thought that with the opening of the Big Four Bridge set for Thursday morning I would look back over the past six months of my posts about the bridge. Photographing this project has been one of the most rewarding experiences in my life as an artist and photographer. Shooting almost daily, getting to know the construction crew, learning about bridge building, seeing my hometown from a vantage point few have ever experienced and expanding my photographic skills are all things that happened because I chose to create this blog which then led to my gaining access to the project.

I started the SpeedDemon2 blog last summer and tried to post a new image each day. Had I not posted a photo of clouds moving over the bridge after a thunderstorm on the blog, it would not have been seen by the Waterfront Development Corporation. Without them seeing that photo the Waterfront Development Corporation wouldn’t have had any reason to contact me or grant me access to the project and I would not have gotten the opportunity to go up on the bridge during the final phase of the conversion from abandoned railroad bridge to a pedestrian bridge and a central component of Louisville Waterfront Park.

When people ask me about how to get recognition for their photography I always tell them to blog about their work. I relate my story about the exposure and opportunities blogging has given me and my work, not only here in Louisville but around the world too.

I can’t begin to list everyone who helped me and took me under their wings as I moved forward with my personal plan for this body of work. I want to thank the Waterfront Development Corporation, Construction Solutions LLC and T&C Construction for all the support and access they have granted me.

I especially want to thank all the Ironworkers, Carpenters, Laborers and Equipment Operators for their cooperation and understanding as I went about documenting their day to day activities. These guys have become friends that I hope to stay in contact with for years to come. Without their skill and expertise the Big Four Bridge conversion could not exist; their dedication to craftsmanship and love for the bridge are evident in every detail. They never cut corners or took an attitude that something was “good enough” instead they took the approach that “perfection equals pride in a job well done” which shows everywhere one looks. Everyone who sees and uses this bridge owes them a debt of gratitude.

The Waterfront Development Corporation has restored Louisville’s Commons and given our city a park that celebrates our roots as a river city. Their vision and leadership will be enjoyed by the people of Louisville and her visitors for generations to come and exemplifies the title “The City of Possibility”. Waterfront Park gives the entire community a gathering place far greater than any of us who have lived here our entire adult lives ever dreamed possible.

Big Four Bridge at Sunrise

Morning sunrise on the Big Four Bridge jobsite. — Start of the Workday

Big Four Bridge at Waterfront Park, Louisville, Kentucky

The image above is the one that was seen by the Waterfront Development Corporation and landed me on the bridge. I was subsequently allowed to shoot this final phase of the conversion from abandoned railroad bridge to a pedestrian bridge between Kentucky and Indiana.

Jack Alpha On Top Of Big Four Bridge

Posted on November 7, 2012 by Nick Roberts

DSC_5676_HDR - Jack_Alpha_Ironworker-Version 2 — Jack Alpha the Ironworker

Click on the image to open it at a larger size in another window.

This image is a single frame that I used NIK HDR EFex Pro 2 and Aperture 3 to process. By using NIK’s U-Point Technology feature I was able to enhance and fine tune the tonality of the oranges and blues of Jack’s welding jacket while maintaining the natural colors of the river and skyline in the background. I was in the man lift basket which allowed me to shoot him from a safe vantage point above the bridge. I am especially pleased with the way the arc of his welder has maintained it’s brilliance and the way the sparks are spraying to the right side of the frame.

This composition has several elements that make it strong. There is the angle of the bridge safety rail in the foreground to the Kennedy bridge in the middle ground and the Clark Memorial Bridge beyond that. There are also the complementary colors of the jacket, safety harness and the river below all of which work in harmony to unify the composition. Finally there is the way the safety harness and Jack’s arm create rhyme in the photograph along with the repetitive linearity of the bridges and handrail.

Speeddemon2 Photography

Fine Art Photography

Tag: Ironworker

Foggy Morning on the River Crossing Project

Ironworkers

Last Moments Alone on the Bridge

Big Four Bridge Opening Thursday 02-07-2013

Jack Alpha On Top Of Big Four Bridge