Tag: Ohio River

On the Crew Boat with Lee

Posted on by Nick Roberts
On the crew boat with Lee and Jeff
On the crew boat with Lee and Jeff

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In order to get to the various work sites on the Ohio River Bridges Downtown Span the workers have to ride in the crew boat. Lee Carson is the Operating Engineer assigned to run the boat. Lee works from before sunrise until after dark ferrying people from job to job. With work progressing on all the piers in the river he is constantly traveling from place to place getting engineers, workers and supervisors where they need to be throughout the day. Lee also has the inside scoop on what is happening at each pier and often gives me tips about significant events that are happening each day. Whenever I have question about where the action is taking place on a given day all I have to do is ride with Lee.

This image is from a three frame bracket set using +2, 0 and -2 EV exposures. I then merged the three exposures in NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 using 100% anti-ghosting to get the two figures to render properly. After merging the files and applying a preset I built for this particular day’s shooting I returned the image to Aperture 3 for final color channel adjustments and sharpening.

 

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.

The Day Begins When The Crew Boat Arrives

Posted on by Nick Roberts
Crew Boat Picking Up Workers At the Start of The Workday.
Crew Boat Picking Up Workers At the Start of The Workday.

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Each morning after the crew meets to go over the day’s activities and assignments many of them are transported to their worksites by Lee the crew boat operator. I have learned that Lee has a good handle on what is taking place at all the pier locations on the river, he know when something significant is going to happen and often directs me to interesting activities throughout the day.

I chose this image to show Lee’s boat arriving to carry the workers to their jobs for the day. I liked the way the boat’s wake smoothly rippled across the river and the contrast of the safety vests on the workers with the deep shades of blue and green in the sky and river. Seeing the scale of the project is always difficult but whenever there are people in the scene it becomes clear what a monumental undertaking this is.

I shot this in HDR and processed it using NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 and Aperture 3.

 

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.

 

Rigging for the Caisson Pick

Posted on by Nick Roberts
Rigging the Caisson For Lifting #1
Rigging the Caisson For the Pick #1

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These Ironworkers are setting the rigging to pick this caisson and right it so that it can be lowered into the casing for final placement. To lift it two cranes must coordinate their actions so that the main crane can upright the assembly and transfer it from the barge to the pier casing. Photo Tip: Having the men in the photo helps give scale to the size of the structure.

Once more this is a three bracket set of exposures using -2, 0 and +2 EV to capture the broad dynamic range between the sky and the foreground I encountered. This is one of the most important reasons to learn and use HDR techniques so that in a situation like this there is a reasonable chance that there will be enough data to create a good image after merging the exposures.

I used NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 and Aperture 3 to merge and process the image.

Rigging the Caisson For Lifting #2
Rigging the Caisson For the Pick #2

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This second image is not an HDR image. There was too much movement of the cables and hooks, between frames in the bracket set; for the anti ghosting to handle in NIK HDR Efex Pro 2. I decided to take the normal (0 EV) exposure into Topaz Clarity to see how well it would do with the wide dynamic range. All in all I am fairly pleased with the way that I was able to bring out some shadow detail and still hold the sky detail using a single exposure. I know some folks like to take the normal exposure and change the exposure value in subsequent copies for a faux HDR look but I don’t go that route since there isn’t any additional data captured as there is when a bracket set is used.