Tag: NIK HDR Efex Pro 2

Cranes As Far As I Can See….

Posted on by Nick Roberts
Cranes As Far As I Can See....
Cranes As Far As I Can See….

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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…

Posted on by Nick Roberts
It Says Right Here...
It Says Right Here…

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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.

 

Sunrise At Pier Six

Posted on by Nick Roberts
Sunrise On the Ohio River Bridge Project Indiana Approach.
Sunrise On the Ohio River Bridge Project Indiana Approach.

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Morning on the Ohio River is so peaceful and serene even inside the Ohio River Bridges project. This morning was interesting to me because the sun had already climbed into the sky and was above the break in the clouds creating a rich glow on the horizon and in the water. I wanted to emphasize the contrast straight lines of the Big Four Bridge in the background with the curves of the Caisson in the foreground while still capturing the wonderful morning light.

This is an HDR image created from a three frame bracket set using -2, 0 and +2 EV exposures. I merged it in NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 and finished it using Aperture 3 for color channel, sharpening and contrast adjustments.

Red….

Posted on by Nick Roberts
Red Winch
Red Winch

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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.

Concrete Pour Equipment

Posted on by Nick Roberts
Concrete Pump Boom
Concrete Pump Boom

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This image shows the concrete pump boom transferring concrete to a pier pour in the middle of the river. The concrete is first transferred from the delivery trucks to the concrete pump which is sitting on shore. The concrete pump then pushes the wet concrete through the large pipe on the boom to the concrete placement workers who direct it’s placement in the concrete form in the river.

I chose this composition to emphasize the length that the material must be transported in order to make the piers in the river. I shot a three frame bracket set of -2, o and +2 EV and then processed the final image by merging them in NIK HDR Efex Pro 2. After merging them and applying some basic tone-mapping adjustments I returned the image to Aperture 3 for final processing.

Concrete Vibrator Operator at Work During the Pier Pour.
Concrete Vibrator Operator at Work During the Pier Pour.

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In this image the vibrator operator is using a control box he is wearing around his waist to vibrate the wet concrete and eliminate any air pockets that may have formed as the concrete was placed in the form. The metal rebar that he is standing inside will connect the next pice of concrete to this base after additional forms are attached as the tower base rises out of the river. This particular concrete pour required 53 truck loads of concrete, 537 cubic yards of material, and took nearly an entire workday to complete.

This image is also a three frame bracket set processed with NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 and Aperture 3.