Urban Abstract #5 HDR Variations

This solarized version floated to the top because it is the strongest graphically.  The single image HDR tone mapped image below fed Nik Color Efex Pro for the conversion, then Lightroom 3 supplied the blue/sepia split tone effect.

Nik HDR Efex produced this single image tone maped version.  I think what happened with the color splashing around in the out of focus areas is quite interesting.

Out of curiosity, I tried a color isolate red filter.  It looks a little like a Dexter promo.

The monochrome from Nik Silver Efex Pro is very clean.  

Technical
Camera:	Nikon D700
Lens:	Nikkor AF 24-85mm f2.8-4 IF
Exposure:	ISO 200, 85mm @ f/4.5 @ 1/500s, Auto WB, RAW
Lighting:	Morning daylight
Support:	Handheld
Location:	City Garden, St. Louis
Dates:	Capture - April 11, 2010, Processed - January 14, 2011
Processing:	Lightroom 3.3, Photoshop CS5, Nik HDR Efex, Nik Silver Efex Pro, Nik Color Efex Pro

AT&T Building - HDR Series

So I'm having a blast turning the view from Kiener Plaza into my own "Dark City" world with single image tone mapping.  Next up is the AT&T building, processed in Nik HDR Efex using the "Turquoise Night" preset as a starting point.  Levels and curves were adjusted in Photoshop CS5 and lens correction was applied.  Finally, I added the "CSI Miami" glow in Nik Color Efex Pro.    

The monochrome conversion is courtesy Nik Silver Efex Pro, using a red filter and sepia/blue split tone.

I'm trying a solarized version of each picture in the series.  This is my least favorite of the three, perhaps because the clouds are too harsh.

Technical
Camera:	Nikon D700
Lens:	Nikkor AF 24-85mm f2.8-4 IF
Exposure:	ISO 200, 35mm @ f/4.5 @ 1/1600s, Auto WB, RAW
Lighting:	Morning daylight
Support:	Handheld
Location:	Kiener Plaza, St. Louis GPS
Dates:	Capture - April 11, 2010, Processed - January 14, 2011
Processing:	Lightroom 3.3, Photoshop CS5, Nik HDR Efex, Nik Silver Efex Pro, Nik Color Efex Pro

Waterfall, Japanese Garden

The sudden cold snap put me in the mood for Spring and I found this shot taken in the Japanese Garden at the Missouri Botanical Gardens last April that I had not processed.  Nik HDR Efex provided single image tone mapping and Photoshop CS5 improved the levels and curves.  

The monochrome was generated in Nik Silver Efex Pro using the N-1 Processing preset and strong coffee toner.

Technical
Camera:	Nikon D700
Lens:	Nikkor AF 24-85mm f2.8-4 IF
Exposure:	ISO 200, 48mm @ f/8.0 @ 1/640s, Auto WB, RAW
Lighting:	Bright Sunlight
Support:	Handheld
Location:	Japanese Garden in Missouri Botanical Gardens
Dates:	Capture - April 17, 2010, Processed - January 1, 2011
Processing:	Lightroom 3.3, Photoshop CS5, Nik HDR Efex, Nik Silver Efex Pro

Hole with Spider Web

With Ralph Gibson much in mind as I took the shot and I was debating whether to remove the spider web.  It grew on my as I worked, so the spider stars in final edit.

Technical
Camera:	Nikon D700
Lens:	Nikkor AF 24-85mm f2.8-4 IF
Exposure:	ISO 200, 70mm @ f/6.7 @ 1/180s, Auto WB, RAW
Lighting:	Bright Sunlight
Support:	Handheld
Location:	Frontier Park, St. Charles, Missouri GPS
Dates:	Capture - June 28, 2009, Processed - December 23, 2010
Processing:	Lightroom 3.3, Photoshop CS5, Nik HDR Efex, Nik Silver Efex Pro

Fan Plant in the Climatron

It is hard to tell in this shot, but these back lighted leaves in the MOBOT Climatron are enormous.  The treatment here was levels and lens correction in Photoshop CS5, added contrast in Nik Vivenza and 11x14 crop in Lightroom 3.

The monochrome conversion was in Nik Silver Efex Pro, followed by a sepia/blue split tone applied in Lightroom 3.

Technical
Camera:	Nikon D700
Lens:	Nikkor AF 24-85mm f2.8-4 IF
Exposure:	ISO 200, EV -1, 70mm @ f/8.0 @ 1/400s, Auto WB, RAW
Lighting:	Window daylight
Support:	Handheld
Location:	Missouri Botanical Gardens Climatron GPS
Dates:	Capture - April 17, 2010, Processed - December 18, 2010
Processing:	Lightroom 3.3, Photoshop CS5, Nik HDR Efex, Nik Silver Efex Pro

RW 607, Single Image HDR

I have no idea what this structure labeled RW 607 is, but the rust turned a bright red in the late afternoon and enhanced slightly with Nik HDR Efex using the default realistic preset.

This monochrome conversion comes from Nik Silver Efex Pro using a green filter and sepia/blue split tone.

Technical
Camera:	Nikon D700
Lens:	Nikkor AF 24-85mm f2.8-4 IF
Exposure:	ISO 200, 70mm @ f/11 @ 1/500s, Auto WB, RAW
Lighting:	Daylight
Support:	Handheld
Location:	Missouri Riverfront, Pioneer Park, St. Charles
Dates:	Capture - June 28, 2009, Procesed - December 4, 2010
Processing:	Lightroom 3, Nik HDR Efex, Nik Silver Efex Pro, Photoshop CS5

Shadows #2

The strong shadow abstracts by Man Ray, Ralph Gibson and Ernst Haas are among my favorites.  I stumbled upon this hatch on a rusting steel tug boat dock along the Missouri River.  For the color version, I used a custom preset I made for landscapes Nik HDR Efex, then applied my "CSI: Miami" effect in Nik Color Efex Pro.

This monochrome version comes from Nik Silver Efex Pro and a custom preset I made that applies a green filter and sepia/blue split tone.

Technical
Camera:	Nikon D700
Lens:	Nikkor AF 24-85mm f2.8-4 IF
Exposure:	ISO 200, 30mm @ f/11 @ 1/500s, Auto WB, RAW
Lighting:	Daylight
Support:	Handheld
Location:	Missouri Riverfront, Pioneer Park, St. Charles
Dates:	Capture - June 28, 2009, Procesed - December 4, 2010
Processing:	Lightroom 3, Nik HDR Efex, Nik Silver Efex Pro, Photoshop CS5

Bilge Pump, Missouri River

This single image HDR tone mapping of a bilge pump that sits on a tug dock on the Missouri River.

The monochrome comes from Nik Silver Efex Pro.

Lens: Nikkor AF 24-85mm f2.8-4 IF 

Camera: Nikon D700

Exposure: ISO 200, 30mm @ f/11 @ 1/500s, Auto WB, RAW

Lighting: Daylight

Location: Missouri Riverfront, Pioneer Park, St. Charles

Dates: Capture - June 28, 2009, Procesed - December 4, 2010

Processing: Lightroom 3, Nik HDR Efex, Nik Silver Efex Pro, Photoshop CS5

Clouds #29, HDR Test

I've been working through various workflows for processing clouds, but keep coming back to the look that underexposed Kodachrome gave us.  I wonder how long it will be before the shorthand meaning of Kodachrome drops from the visual literacy lexicon.  After I got the Kodachrome color and contrast, I took it one step further and simulated Pete Turner's Kodachrome copy look by processing a single image in Nik HDR Efex, RAW Sharpener and Dfine.

This monochrome based on the HDR color, converted in Nik Silver Efex Pro simulating a Wratten #61 filter.  The blue/sepia split tone was applied in Lightroom 3.

The starter shot made to look like Kodachrome using Photoshop CS5 levels and curves adjustments.  

Lens: Nikkor AF 24-85mm f2.8-4 IF 

Camera: Nikon D100

Exposure: ISO 200, 28mm @ f/5.6 @ 1/160s, Auto WB, RAW, handheld

Lighting: Daylight

Location: My backyard

Dates: Capture - April 10, 2008, Processed - November 23, 2010

Processing: Lightroom 3, Nik HDR Efex, Nik Silver Efex Pro, Photoshop CS5

Cypress Trunks, Heron Pond, HDR

This is a good example, I think, of a shot saved by HDR processing.  It was taken near dusk and the light was very flat and kind of sickly.  I liked the composition, but the tonality was just too deadly to make a picture with any punch.  Luckily, I had bracketed the exposures and was able to pull out some detail by processing the shots in Nik HDR Efex using my custom landscape preset.  The colors version of this shot is not very attractive, but the detail was punched up with enough tonal separation to give me a wide range of options for the monochrome conversion in Nik Silver Efex Pro.  The final touch here is a sepia/blue split tone applied in Lightroom 3.  The print looks a bit like charcoal on mylar.

Lens: Nikkor AF 24-85mm f2.8-4 IF 

Camera: Nikon D100

Exposure: ISO 200, 50mm @ f/8 @ 1/6s, Auto WB, tripod, RAW

Lighting: Daylight at dusk

Location: Cache River Natural Area, Heron Pond GPS

Dates: Capture - April 15, 2006, Processing - November 18, 2010

Processing: RAW file in Lightroom 3, Nik HDR Efex, Nik Silver Efex Pro

Cypress Knees, Heron Pond, HDR Test

The cypress knees are curious structures that are part of the root system.  This version started with the color picture below, made from three half-stop brackets processed in Nik HDR Efex, then applied a "Color Isolate Red" develop preset in Lightroom 3.  The knees got lost is the straight monochrome conversion.

This HDR color version captures fairly well the minor chord dusk light and mood of the swamp.  

In Nik Silver Efex Pro, I was able to get good separation between the knees and water without loosing detail using a split tone preset I made for landscapes.

Lens: Nikkor AF 24-85mm f2.8-4 IF 

Camera: Nikon D100

Exposure: ISO 200, 50mm @ f/8 @ 1/6s, Auto WB, tripod, RAW

Lighting: Daylight at dusk

Location: Cache River Natural Area, Heron Pond GPS

Dates: Capture - April 15, 2006, Processing - November 18, 2010

Processing: RAW file in Lightroom 3, Nik HDR Efex, Nik Silver Efex Pro

Urban Detail #4, HDR

This is a side view of the same snow blade at the Museum of Transportation St. Louis I posted as "Urban Detail #3", processed as a single file in Nik HDR Efex.  I used a more naturalistic tone mapping for this picture.

This monochrome was processed in Nik Silver Efex Pro with a split tone applied in Lightroom 3.

Lens: Nikkor AF 24-85mm f2.8-4 IF 

Camera: Nikon D100

Exposure: ISO 200, 85mm @ f/5.6 @ 1/60s, Auto WB, tripod, RAW

Lighting: Daylight

Location: Museum of Transportation St. Louis GPS

Dates: Capture - October 16, 2005, Procesed - November 16, 2010

Processing: Lightroom 3, Nik HDR Efex, Nik Silver Efex Pro, Photoshop CS5

Urban Detail #3, HDR

This is a new version of a previously published picture of a snow blade at the Museum of Transportation, starting with the color version below and converting to monochrome in Nik Silver Efex Pro using a custom split tone preset.

Nik HDR Efex found quite a bit of color.  I find that the exaggerated color gives me more to work with in the monochrome conversions.

Lens: Nikkor AF 24-85mm f2.8-4 IF 

Camera: Nikon D100

Exposure: ISO 200, 85mm @ f/5.6 @ 1/125s, Auto WB, tripod, RAW

Lighting: Daylight

Location: Museum of Transportation St. Louis GPS

Dates: Capture - October 16, 2005, Procesed - November 14, 2010

Processing: Lightroom 3, Nik HDR Efex, Nik Silver Efex Pro, Photoshop CS5