Tag: louisville kentucky

Abstract Images From Construction

Posted on by Nick Roberts
The Nuts and Bolts of Construction
The Nuts and Bolts of Construction

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The image above is of some construction fasteners used in the heavy construction concrete forms on the Ohio River Bridges Project that Walsh Construction is doing in Louisville KY. I liked the contrasts of the colors and textures and the randomness of the various items. I processed it using Topaz Clarity and Aperture 3.

Rock Drill Sediment Abstract
Rock Drill Sediment Abstract

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This image shows the sediment that settled on the rock drill being used to drill the piers for the Ohio River Bridges Project. I really liked the topographical feel that the sediment left on the metal surface as the water evaporated and dried while the tool was not in use. I shot it as a three frame bracket set and processed it using NIK HDR Eex Pro 2 and Aperture 3.

 

Caisson Pick

Posted on by Nick Roberts
Lifting the Caisson Into Place
Moving the Caisson Into Place

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Yesterday morning the caisson for the bridge pier, 6R2, was moved into place inside the 12 foot diameter steel casing that will protect the bridge piers from damage once the bridge is finished and the river channel is reopened. The rebar caisson is over 60 feet long and moving it requires excellent coordination between the crane operator and the crew on the ground. The caisson must be precisely placed so that the connections to the next components of the tower can be completed. Not only are there Ironworkers involved but additionally there are Carpenters, Pile Drivers and Surveyors that have specific roles to play when these caissons are positioned. The men in the foreground are surveyors whose role is to make sure that the attachment points are properly aligned by accurately measuring exactly where the caisson is situated in the bore. Once all that is completed the cylinder will be poured full of concrete and the pier will be ready for the next piece to be attached.

This is a three frame bracket set of images shot at -2, 0 and +2 EV. The three images were merged in NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 to create the HDR image. After merging and tonemapping the image was returned to Aperture 3 for final processing.

Sunrise Over the Ohio River Bridges Project

Posted on by Nick Roberts
Ohio River Bridges Project Morning
Ohio River Bridges Project Morning

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Today’s HDR image is from the Ohio River Bridges Project, Downtown Span, being built by Walsh Construction on the Ohio River in Louisville Kentucky; they are now working on the foundation for every pier across the river. This view is from the Indiana shore in Jeffersonville looking east. There are cranes on barges across the river; each one doing some piece of work essential to the foundation prep work. Looking south there are also cranes along the horizon where work is also progressing on the rebuilding of Louisville’s Spaghetti Junction which will tie the existing freeways into the new Ohio River Downtown Span.

I used my usual three bracket set of -2, 0 and +2 EV to capture the broad dynamic range in the scene. In my processing I first merged the three images in NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 where I tone-mapped it before bringing the HDR image back into Aperture and into onOne Perfect Layers where I used some adjustment layers to intensify and enhance to colors in the scene. I also applied my sharpening in onOne Perfect Effects before saving the image for the web from Aperture 3.

Spaghetti Junction Sunrise

Posted on by Nick Roberts
Spaghetti Junction Sunrise (Topaz Clarity Version)
Spaghetti Junction Sunrise (Topaz Clarity Version)

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Today I’m sharing two versions of the same image to show how Topaz Clarity and Topaz Restyle can be used to create different feeling images from the same exposure. In the each version I worked the underexposed frame from the bracket set I shot for HDR processing. I opted to use this frame because I liked the way it emphasized the sky and obscured the foreground. The Clarity version allowed me to bring out the colors in the sunrise sky and the reflection in the foreground while still keeping the equipment subdued yet readable.

Spaghetti Junction Sunrise (Topaz Restyle Version, Fiery Night Preset Version)

Spaghetti Junction Sunrise (Topaz Restyle Version, Fiery Night Preset Version)

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In this second version I used Topaz ReStyle and selected the Fiery Night Preset to really change the sky colors.As you can see it has an entirely different feel from the first image The only difference was the Topaz program I chose to use on the original image.

I intentionally allowed the exposure to be dark in the foreground to lend an air of mystery to the final image. One of the things I like about how ReStyle worked was the way it didn’t create or amplify any noise in the dark areas of the image.

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I have an affiliate relationship with Topaz Labs, and earn a small commission on any sales that are made by using the Topaz Labs link below, which helps support this site. Even if you aren’t ready to make a purchase you can use the link to access a Free 30 day Trial of Topaz Labs products to determine whether or not they will fit your own digital workflow.

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

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Using HDR Photography to Create Your Own Personal Style Workshop

Posted on by Nick Roberts

Nick Roberts – Using HDR Photography to Create Your Own Personal Style Tickets in Louisville, KY, United States.

Fourth of July Funnel Cakes
Fourth of July Funnel Cakes

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There is still time to join me for my HDR workshop in Louisville, KY, November 9, 2013. Learn how to use HDR techniques and NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 to create images that reflect your own personal style in this hands on workshop. You’ll be taught how to shoot for HDR along with what equipment you’ll need.

Ohio River Sunset Panorama
Ohio River Sunset Panorama

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We will also go over shooting handheld brackets, using single frames and software plugins to create faux HDR and applying plugins from Topaz Labs and onOne Software to get unique results without beating your brains out in Photoshop. My past workshop participants have all said it was well worth the time and money to attend and they still share images with me that show how well the class prepared them to build their HDR expertise.

Parkland Morning
Parklands Morning

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Learn how to create images that defy the cliched, halo riddled, over saturated, grungy look that many people think of when thinking about HDR. After this workshop you will have the knowledge and the tools to create realistic yet powerful HDR images that show your vision for the subject without drawing attention to the technique that you used. In addition to learning how to use HDR to improve your images we will also talk about composition and it’s contribution to successful and memorable images.

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I have an affiliate relationship with Topaz Labs and onOne Software, and earn a small commission, which helps support this site, on any sales that are made by using the links below. Even if you aren’t ready to make a purchase you can use the links to access a Free 30 day trial of any of these products to determine whether or not they will fit your own digital workflow.

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

http://www.onOnesoftware.com/affiliates/idevaffiliate.php?id=459

One additional thing to note is that both Topaz FX and onOne Perfect Photo Suite can be used as stand alone photo editing programs as well as plugins for Photoshop, Lightroom, Aperture and Photoshop Elements. Both Topaz FX and onOne Perfect Photo Suite have built in layering features that make it possible to combine their own plugins when using them.

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