Tag: Walsh Construction

The Surveyor… William Moylan

Posted on by Nick Roberts
A Surveyor and a Carpenter discuss their next move while setting up forms on a pier near River Road in Jeffersonville, Indiana.
A Surveyor and a Carpenter discuss their next move while setting up forms on a pier near River Road in Jeffersonville, Indiana.

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The Surveyor in this image is William Moylan. I met William last year while he was surveying the placement of a caisson in pier 6 during it’s installation. I shot some photos of him that morning and ultimately chose one for a blog post. William saw the photo and thanked me for sharing it with the world. At the time he said to me that no one ever takes pictures of the surveyor. Later as we got to know each other he told me that his Mom in Ireland was able to see what he did for a living and the job he was working on because of that photo.

I was waiting for the crew boat yesterday when I saw William and a Carpenter working together. I liked the angle that I had and started shooting them discussing the task they were both working on. In this image they are making plans for William to ride up in the aerial lift to check the platform being placed for a hammerhead form that the carpenters are building on pier 8.

A Carpenter in aerial lift installing and leveling the floor for a hammerhead form on pier 8.
A Carpenter in an aerial lift installing and leveling the floor for a hammerhead form on pier 8.

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In this image you can see the floor of the hammerhead form that William and the Carpenter are leveling. William has climbed out onto the form floor with his measuring equipment and the Carpenter is moving into place underneath the form to make leveling adjustments.

Both of these images are three frame bracket sets of +2, 0 and -2 EV exposures that have been merged in NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 and finished in Aperture 3. For the top image I had to sue 100% anti-ghosting to eliminate the ghosting of the figures. In the second image I was able to get by with only 60% anti-ghosting. My advice regarding anti-ghosting is to strive for the lowest amount you can use in order to minimize halos and still achieve a reasonable final result.

Climbing Up Inside The Tower Crane on Pier Four of The Ohio River Bridges Project

Posted on by Nick Roberts
Looking into Indiana from inside the tower of the Tower Crane on Pier 4.
Looking into Indiana from inside the tower of the Tower Crane on Pier Four.

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Last week I was cleared by the safety manager to enter and climb the tower crane that has been installed on pier four of the Ohio River Bridges Project. The tower crane is approximately 100 feet tall now and will eventually be extended up to around 200 feet in order to build the bridge towers for the northern tower of the downtown span. Each section of the crane tower is ten feet tall and affords me a place to stand and shoot from as I climb up. I only went up six sections but with the additional height of the tower base I was able to shoot from around eighty feet above the river. The view of the project from there is amazing and I can’t wait to climb higher the next time I’m out there. Eventually I will be able to climb all the way up to the crane itself and see the project as the crane operator sees it.

A view of the eastern tower structure of the Bridge Tower at Pier 4 on the Ohio River Bridges Project Downtown Span.
A view of the eastern tower structure of the Bridge Tower at Pier Four on the Ohio River Bridges Project Downtown Span.

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In this second image you can see the base of the eastern leg of the northern bridge tower and the shadow of the tower crane. I think I was around forty feet above the base but I’m not sure exactly which level I was on when I shot this image. The river was pretty muddy from the heavy rains that went through upstream from Louisville a few days earlier. The brown shapes on the water are driftwood branches and logs that are swept into the river whenever the river rises.

Not much more to say about these images except that they are both HDR shot handheld in a three frame bracket set of +2, 0 and -2 EV exposures. They were merged in NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 and finished in Aperture 3.

Work On Southbound I-65 Bridges and Roadway Progresses

Posted on by Nick Roberts
Ironworker welding metal bridge decking supports on southern I-65 bridge over Main Street.
Ironworker welding metal bridge decking supports on southern I-65 bridge over Main Street.

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The southbound I-65 work is progressing well as the Walsh Construction crews build the new bridges and roadway that will replace the old I-65 infrastructure. In this photo you can see the steel bridge decking being installed in the center of the image while an Ironworker welds the supporting angle iron in place. I chose this image because I like the way the figures are arranged from the foreground through the frame. I also like the way the welding arc is sparking and the way the welder is positioned in the image.

As in most of my work this too is a HDR image created from a three frame bracket set of +2, 0 and -2 EV exposures. I had to use an anti-ghosting setting of 100% in NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 to address the many different poses the figures were in between frames. The ability to shoot handheld images of people movin

Ironworkers installing metal bridge decking on southern I-65 bridge over Main Street.
Ironworkers installing metal bridge decking on southern I-65 bridge over Main Street.

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This second image also shows the Ironworkers welding and placing the steel bridge decking. The decking will support the concrete during the pouring of the roadway after the Ironworkers place reinforcing rebar across the completed bridge deck prior to pouring of the concrete. Once again you can see the power of the NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 anti-ghosting feature, especially in the way it has rendered the woman’s leg as she kicks the steel decking into place. As in the previous image I had to use a setting of 100% anti-ghosting in order to freeze the action and avoid ghosting artifacts.

Concrete bridge beams for I-65 South over Slugger Field area approaching Main Street.
Concrete bridge beams for I-65 South over Slugger Field area approaching Main Street.

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I really liked the way the pre-stressed concrete bridge beams cast their shadows on the ground below them and the strong movement their placement gave to this image. This is also near Slugger Field where the new roadway is taking shape overhead. Once these bridges and roadways are completed traffic will be moved over onto this new roadway and demolition will begin on the old southbound I-65 infrastructure which will be replaced with new bridges and roadway. Once again I followed my normal HDR workflow of NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 and Aperture 3 processing.

Concrete bridge beams for I-65 South over Slugger Field area approaching Main Street. #2
Concrete bridge beams for I-65 South over Slugger Field area approaching Main Street. #2

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This final image in today’s post is once again from beneath the concrete bridge beams for the new southbound I-65. I shot this using my 12-24 mm Nikkor lens and decided to take it into Photoshop CS5 after merging the bracket set in order to correct the lens distortion inherent in such a wide angle shot. This too is a HDR image created from a three handheld frame bracket set merged in NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 and finished in Aperture 3.

Fall 2013 Commemorative Print Released (Revised)

Posted on by Nick Roberts
The Ohio River Bridges Project, Commemorative Print, Fall 2013
The Ohio River Bridges Project, Commemorative Print, Fall 2013

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On May 1, 2013 I released the first commemorative print from my Ohio River Bridges Project series. I chose to start the series of commemorative prints with this particular image because I wanted to pay homage to the men and women, both past and present, who build America. By taking an image from The Ohio Bridges Project currently being built by the Walsh Construction Company, and using an antique style to process it, I hoped to connect the past and present in a single image.

The subject matter in this image is a steel caisson that was used in the foundation phase of The Ohio River Bridges Project, Downtown Crossing, in Louisville, Kentucky. The work on the bridge’s foundation is moving along nicely and there are only a few more of these caissons to be installed as the foundation rises from the river. I liked the way the barge number, the life preserver and the caisson itself emphasized a circular element while the cranes, cables and bridge above the barge relied on triangles for continuity. The figures in the image allow us to see the scale of the caisson while also referencing the labor it takes to build it.

The size is 12″ x 12″ and it is printed on .040 thick aluminum with a mounting block attached to the back. The print arrives ready to hang.  The price for the 12″ x 12″ version is ($99.99) with two additional sizes of 18 ” x 18″ ($229.99) and 24″ x 24″($399.99) also available. All prints are hand engraved with my signature in the aluminum  on the reverse side and are ready to hang. I am limiting the First Edition of 12″ x 12″ prints to 150 prints. Each First Edition print will be numbered in sequence. First Edition 18″ x 18″ prints are limited to 50 prints and 24″ X 24″ prints are limited to 10 Prints. In addition to the numbered series prints I am offering one and only one, 48″ x 48″ First Edition print for ($1799.99). After these quantities are filled the print will be retired and no further prints will be made.

I handle all printing and shipping myself to assure that the highest standards are maintained throughout the process. The printer I use is located here in Louisville and holds to the highest standards of their trade which is why I use them. I am also a proponent of buying local which makes choosing them a good fit for me. There is also a 30 day refund policy if you are not satisfied with the actual product. Upon satisfactory return I will issue a refund for the cost of the print. Return shipping will not be refunded; only the price of the print itself is covered by this guarantee.

To order your copy please use the contact form below.

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HDR Image of 127 Feet Tall Caisson

Posted on by Nick Roberts
This caisson is 127 feet tall and weighs over 170,000 pounds.
This caisson is 127 feet tall and weighs over 170,000 pounds.

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Last Wednesday the Ironworkers placed a 12 foot diameter, 127 foot tall caisson in the pier near the Kentucky shore. It weighed over 170,000 pounds and was going in one of the deepest piers of the project. Watching them lift it from a horizontal position into a vertical position was amazing. It took two cranes to do it and the coordination required was incredible.

This HDR image is from a three frame handheld bracket set consisting of +2, 0 and -2 EV exposures. I took the three frames into NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 where I merged them and applied the Balanced preset. While there I set the Detail slider to accentuated and the Drama slider to deep. In order to suppress some serious halos that were showing up along the vertical elements in the sky I reduced the Method strength slider until the halos were gone. I then took the merged file back into Aperture 3 for final adjustments to colors, sharpening and contrast.