Tag: transportation

Golden Hour on the Clark Memorial Bridge

Posted on by Nick Roberts
Golden Hour on the Clark Memorial Bridge
(Click on the image to open in a separate window)

This image is on the Clark Memorial Bridge approach from Louisville looking north into Indiana. I chose this composition because I like the way the bridge railing and sidewalk lead the viewer’s eye into the image. The afternoon glow of the “Golden Hour” on the bridge and in the sky is a nice contrast to the coolness of the shadows in the lower third of the image.

I processed this image in NIK HDR Efex pro using the Realistic (Strong) preset as my base point. After the six images were merged I applied the anti-ghosting at the high setting which cleaned up the cars on the bridge and reduced the ghosting they were exhibiting. I then slightly adjusted the shadows and highlights sliders before saving the image back into Aperture 3. I then reopened the photo in Aperture 3 where I did some further enhancement to the colors and vibrancy before the final sharpening.

Bumsted

Posted on by Nick Roberts
Bumsted

This image is another photo from the NSRA Streetrod Nationals in Louisville, KY. I processed this image using the Topaz Adjust Spicify preset. Not a lot to add about processing except to point out that the fact that when using presets such as Spicify there is always the potential for excessive noise in the image. I processed this image at a time when I was just starting to use Topaz Adjust and looking back at the image I would probably dial the strength of the preset down some in an effort to reduce the noise in the sky and the reflections in the paint on the car.

I like the composition for a couple of reasons in particular the low camera angle that really emphasizes the voluptuous form of the car. The placement of the subject creates a tension as the car seems to be moving forward in the frame. I did this to showcase that massive grill and front bumper and to emphasize the front vanity license plate. The complimentary colors of the orange car with the blue sky add interest from the standpoint of color balance.

Cadillac Abstract

Posted on by Nick Roberts
Cadillac Abstract

This image is a macro of the glass in a 1931 Cadillac Sedan I saw last year at the NSRA Streetrod Nationals. This particular car was impecable in every way but the owner had chosen not to replace any of the glass in the car. These early cars had a type of safety glass that was made by taking two layers of glass and fusing them together with a clear plastic membrane that was sandwiched between them. Over time the membrane will sometimes start to delaminate and the result is an amber looking pattern usually at the edges of the glass. This car’s glass had done that at the bottom of every piece of glass in the car and the restorer had kept it in the car. I couldn’t resist the abstract patterns and colors and took several photos of it though I’m not sure I took any of the car itself.

I processed this image in Topaz Adjust which allowed me to intensify and enhance the colors in the delamination. Once again I took a subject that I had seen and photographed innumerable times and found a new way to interpret it. Keep your eyes open when you are looking at something you have photographed many times before and you just may stumble onto a gem such as this image.

Homage to the Renaissance

Posted on by Nick Roberts
Reflections in a Chrome Eye

Sometimes the simplest things can yield surprising results. As I searched the Streetrod Nationals for reflections in cars I came across this car parked in the grass which was a great mirror for the two red vehicles parked nearby. I thought about the way the painters of the Renaissance used convex mirrors in their paintings to capture distorted perspective and decided to go with that concept.

I would call this a radial composition due to the many concentric circles which focus the viewer’s eye on the image within the image though it also conforms to the rule of thirds. The colors in the image are primarily red and green which are complimentary colors and lend harmony to the scene and further strengthen the composition. I also enjoy the way the colors in the wheel are inverted from the center section where the green grass and blue sky are revealed; to the outer portions of the wheel where the green is now on the upper side and the blue has moved to the bottom. The reds of the reflected vehicles benefit too from the red jewel on the tire’s valve cap which adds a small foreground element to the image.

I first processed this image with Aperture 3 where I cropped it slightly to remove extraneous details that were interfering with my initial concept for the photo. I then I opened it in Topaz Adjust for the final enhancements which intensified the colors in the chrome and the scene within the center cap, along with the sky.

Racecourse Reflections

Posted on by Nick Roberts

Image

This week I would like to share some of the candid portraits I have taken in my travels across America. This young man’s name is Vic Briggs, sadly he lost his life last summer in an auto accident in South Dakota. He was a really quiet guy with a quick wit and good sense of humor and he is dearly missed by his friends and co-workers at Klock Werks Kustom Cycles in Mitchell SD.

I try in my portraits to capture the essence of the subject and to show them in their element. In Vic’s case it was as a crew member for the Klock Werks team at BUB International Motorcycle Speed Trials. The reflection in his glasses is that of the starting line staging tent. I like the way the motorcycles and the racers are shown in his glasses.

I processed this image using Topaz Adjust and Aperture 3. The composition is a standard rule of thirds. Not much to add beyond that.

One final note here, Vic was an advocate for organ donation and his organs went to help several people who needed them. In a sense he lives on through his selfless act of signing his drivers license as an organ donor. In memory of Vic; his friends and co-workers at Klock Werks established a fund for his children: Vic Briggs Memorial, Home Federal Bank, 714 S. Burr Street, Mitchell, SD 57301, (605) 996-8100