Chester Bullock posted a photo:
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This B Cycle station is literally right outside my office.
Stock iPhone camera, HDR mode, Snapseed crop.
Opening 2 months ago, this bridge has alleviated major traffic jams from people trying to cross the Colorado River between Nevada and Arizona at the Hoover Dam.
I am in Las Vegas for a conference, so I took a trip to the Hoover Dam for the official tour. Did you know that the lake is at it’s lowest point since 1936? It stands at 38% of capacity right now.
Jennifer and I stayed in New Orleans the night we flew back from our trip. This shot is of the French Quarter, at sunset, from the 30th floor (roof) of the Westin hotel by the Mississippi River. This is an HDR (High Dynamic Range) image, and came out pretty good. I have a lot more images to process from this trip, and the best will be put on display here of course.
If you are interested in seeing more HDR images (of particularly high quality I might add), you should visit HDR Spotting.
As promised, I am shooting new stuff this week. We are in Natchez, Mississippi for the Great Mississippi River Balloon Race. Actually we are here for my wife’s work, but since she had to come, I tagged along since I have never really been to the deep south. We are enjoying it, and hope to get some balloon pictures tonight.
Yes, I know, you have seen the picture above more times than you can shake a stick at of late. Or have you? Look closely? It is the same subject, location, and it was shot at the same time. But it is different in a slight way. This is the last remix I am doing of what I think is my best photo. So what is different?
Following the advice from the Stuck in Customs HDR Tutorial, I did a one shot tonemapping version in Photomatix. That’s a lot of words to say I did a one image HDR treatment, on what was already a black and white image. From there I used Noiseware to reduce the noise in the image, and voilà, you get the image above. The differences are subtle, but I welcome you to look at the original and then it will make sense. I think the new remix makes the image even more dramatic than it was before. What do you think?
I have entered this photo in an online photo contest on Facebook. If you like the image, then:
- Go to http://www.facebook.com/LightStalking and “Like” the group. They publish some pretty cool stuff.
- Go to the photo itself and click “Like” on the page with the large version of this picture.
Winners are going to be determined by how many “Likes” they get, and I think this picture is worthy of winning. If I win 1st place, I’ll pick one name from everyone who “Likes” it and send that person a signed 11×14 of the image.
Watching the newest episode of Top Gear on BBC America the other night, I was inspired to revisit my images of the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad that I shot back in August of 2009. There was one 5 shot sequence where my intention was to make an HDR. I actually made it, but then I saw some ghosting from people moving, so I shelved it until I had time to work it out. Well, I went back in, and tried a different option for ghost handling in the latest Photomatix. The result is the image you see above. Well, kind of. After I got the HDR, I brought it back into Adobe Lightroom and applied some of the Kubota Lightroom Actions to the image. The result is an image that feels shot in the period, but has the benefits of HDR.
Available for sale in my online gallery, this is the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad engine #482. It is a Baldwin 282 steam locomotive, manufactured in 1925 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Having served on the Denver & Rio Grande Western from 1925 to 1962, it was then sold to the Cu,bres & Toltec Scenic Railway in 1970. I have not been able to locate information detailing when it was sold to the DSNRR.
This HDR image came out far better than I expected it to in the wind and water vapor surrounding me. It has been chosen as an editor’s pick at HDRSpotting.com, and HDR afficionado website. And now you can hang it on the wall of your home or office by placing an order from my online gallery. White space has been added to the gallery version, allowing proper cropping for standard prints and frames.
Also, if you like my work, consider becoming a fan of my Facebook page. On January 31, I will select one fan at random to receive a $50 gift certificate to my online gallery (for a print purchase only, not for session fees).
Shot Some HDR The Other Day
Haven’t done much of late, so I shot some in between Senior Picture gigs. I need to go back and reshoot this spot, but this pic shows me the potential.
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