Under the Bridge

[ravenmore]

So after I finally got off of being "on call" (see my laptop bag thread in this forum), I went down to Town Lake to see what kind of trouble I could get into. I shot this railroad tressle (built in 1906 - the plaque was just off camera) from directly below. I made 3 exposures, hdr'd it when I got home, converted to b&w, deepened the shadows and brought up the midtones and highlights (hdr seems to have a tendancy to flatten the images initially I've noticed). Anyway, let me know what you think. Again, Nikon D80 w/nikkor 18-55mm.

[J-Dogg Productions]

this picture looks good in b/w id kinda like to see a different angle but this does look cool the way it is.

Jay

[ZL4life]

the bridge almost looks solarized

[ravenmore]

not solarized - when I did the hdr conversion on it the areas of sky between the rails and the sides of the bridge came out much lighter for some reason. It didn't bother me on this one but it did on another one. I'm playing with it to see why it happened and if I can control it.

[Greg McCary]

Nice work, I like the coversion to B&W and the angle. The sky appears to to have some kind pf halo effect arount the trussel that I like. Maybe from the HDR. I promise I will try an HDR soon I just am getting lazy with my PPing,
Greg

[gahspidy]

There is a certain surreal effect going on here, most likely from the HDR process. I have tried HDR a few times and while it sometimes does a fantastic result, alot of times it is unpredictable with not desireable results. The issue I have with much of it's results are that when shadow detail is brought out everywhere and highlights perfectly exposed, we lose the sense of depth that a scene brings becuase of it's deep shadows and sometimes over blown highlights.
This photo, for me, is one that has lost it's depth. I cannot feel like I'm actually under the trestle, but rather a trestle-like design is in front of me. However, in it's own way, it still holds a certain appeal in the surrealist quality I mentioned before.
I would just suggest to crop this so that the concrete support meets the frame equally on both sides. The support is also nice and sharp and perhaps my favorite part of the image because of it's texture.

[Has He Lost His Mind?]

Props on the HDR and the BW. Nice work.

[ravenmore]

Thanks guys - really appreciate the compliments and comments.

Greg - still really looking forward to a hdr of that water wheel. Yep, the hdr conversion kept making the sky glow around the rails. It ticked me off on some of the other pics but it "worked" for me on this one.

Gary - yeah, I know what you mean about it removing depth. The images do feel kind of flat. I tweaked this one quite a bit from the original hdr too in deepening the shadows and opening up both the midtones and highlights. I still have more detail in the shadows and highlights than I'd have shooting it straight. I'm just playing with hdr to see what kind of potential it offers. I have to admit I'm like a kid with a new toy. Its fun. ;) I think it does have a lot of practical potential if used wisely. It can be a really nifty tool in the right situations. Thanks for the tips about the crop too. Didn't even think about it until you mentioned it but now that I've noticed it I can totally see what you're talking about.