2017 Project 52 - 4th QTR - Sandy(Skitterbug)

[skitterbug]

Week 40
We've had rain most of the week but I decided to give my idea a try anyway. The rain was starting, slowing, etc. so I crossed my fingers in hope and headed to Sidney Ohio which is the county seat of Shelby county. It has plenty of history that I've never taken time to explore.

There is a railroad bridge called Big 4 Bridge that was started in 1923. I have a link to an article that the local historical society complied for anyone's interest.

So my viewpoint for my pic was from a cemetery. No ghosts pestered me......

What I discovered after I started was that I should have carried my wide angle lens and/or the EF 18-55 one. I might have had different results. Another thing that is a bit frustrating are all the electrical and telephone wires strung all over the place. I wish they would bury these and get them out of the way! <LOL>

So in the following pic, I did a lot of editing to rid it of those annoying lines. I would really enjoy getting a full shot of this bridge but I'm not sure how I am going to accomplish it. I will add a second pic of another part of the bridge when I get it finished but I've had enough tedious work for today.

I chose f/11 and the camera was given free rein to pick the speed and ISO. So 1/125ss - ISO 320 at a distance of 96mm. I probably would have picked a shutter speed along that line but I would have set the ISO at 200 probably and then I would have checked the results. So I wouldn't have missed it by much! That pleases me.

Okay comments always welcome!
Big 4 Bridge
]

[Shadowman]

Nice shot.

[skitterbug]

Thank you John!

I wasn't going to do any more editing but then the "I just have to do it" mood struck so here is another pic of this bridge. It also had lots of wires going through it <grrrr> I fiddled a bit more with the colors and I may have gotten carried away a bit but I think the results are decent. I'll let the group offer opinions!

Second pic of the same Big 4 Bridge

[zen]

Hi Sandy,

The second image is the better of the two, in my opinion. First because it offers a wider view of the main subject; and secondly because the foliage does not interfere with the view, while still adding a desirable bit of color. As to removing those pesky wires, some here may complain, but for me, doing so is fine. Again, their removal gives a much better view of the subject.

Thanks for sharing.

Zen

[skitterbug]

Hi Zen ~ The first image has the date of the railroad bridge and so I wanted to capture that in the pic. I was too close to get a broader shot using the lens that I had along. Of course the second is an extension of the first pic shot at a little different angle so I was able to get more of it. I also captured the arches which pleased me. I hadn't realized the trees were as colorful as they are until I viewed them on my computer screen. Apparently I was oblivious because I was thinking only of the bridge! <chuckle> The day was not overly bright because it was drizzling but in the end, the dreariness actually added to the decaying state of the bridge. <in my opinion>

Thank you for your comments! I appreciate them lots!

Hi Sandy,

The second image is the better of the two, in my opinion. First because it offers a wider view of the main subject; and secondly because the foliage does not interfere with the view, while still adding a desirable bit of color. As to removing those pesky wires, some here may complain, but for me, doing so is fine. Again, their removal gives a much better view of the subject.

Thanks for sharing.

Zen

[LePetomane]

I like the second one better. It shows the dilapidation better.

[Geoff F]

Both look OK to me, particularly considering the conditions.

My only thought about the first image is that you need to show more of the structure and without being quite so tight at the top. Or alternatively, crop to show less and concentrate on the central pillar. Lose a bit from the right side and bottom to remove that heavy distracting diagonal arch line. Maybe a mix of crop and clone ?

[joebranko]

Both are nice shots Sandy, but as a retired Engineer, the second shot which shows more of the details of how it was constructed has more interest to me. Too bad you did not have your wide angle lens with hoy. That happens so often with me. I frequently don't have the lens I real!y need.

[skitterbug]

Hi Geoff ~ There didn't seem to be a decent way to get a broader shot with the equipment I had along. I did want the date of the bridge. I may go back and have another look at this section again. I thought about going to the opposite side but I don't believe the area is any more open than this side was.
Thanks for commenting!

Both look OK to me, particularly considering the conditions.

My only thought about the first image is that you need to show more of the structure and without being quite so tight at the top. Or alternatively, crop to show less and concentrate on the central pillar. Lose a bit from the right side and bottom to remove that heavy distracting diagonal arch line. Maybe a mix of crop and clone ?

[skitterbug]

Hi Joe ~ I am really considering one of those vests to carry my couple of lenses along with me. If I pack them in the camera bag, of course they will be in the vehicle instead of within my reach. And I don't want to lug a lot of equipment along. I'm all thumbs as it is. I know - all excuses, huh! <chuckle> As mentioned in my reply to Geoff, I ought to go back and take another look to see if I can improve.
Thanks for looking at my work!

Both are nice shots Sandy, but as a retired Engineer, the second shot which shows more of the details of how it was constructed has more interest to me. Too bad you did not have your wide angle lens with hoy. That happens so often with me. I frequently don't have the lens I real!y need.

[joebranko]

Hi Joe ~ I am really considering one of those vests to carry my couple of lenses along with me. If I pack them in the camera bag,

I looked at a belt which was fitted with rings to which you could clila coulpe of bags , each of which would hold a spare lens. It was good in principle but I could not find a belt long enough to fit me. So I need to find another belt of loose 20 lbs.

I

[skitterbug]

I admit I am not the most active person in this world but photography has me out of my chair and moving again! I enjoyed your reply! Made me smile!

I looked at a belt which was fitted with rings to which you could clila coulpe of bags , each of which would hold a spare lens. It was good in principle but I could not find a belt long enough to fit me. So I need to find another belt of loose 20 lbs.

[Wavelength]

Excellent images.....

[AG64]

Sandy, great images! Have you considered processing these as B&W? I find that when I shoot in the middle of the day in overcast, flat light, I tend to gravitate toward B&W processing, since the colors get muted and are not generally the focal point in that type of light.

As color images I prefer #2, but I think #1 has the tremendous promise as a monochrome image. Boosting the contrast and clarity adjustments, with some curves adjustment would really bring out the texture of the old concrete and focus the eye there. The challenge for B&W is that the sky is a bit blown out, so you'd need to darken that considerably to keep the eye from inadvertently getting too drawn to it.

[Manfred M]

Sandy - photography is all about the light and when the light does not work, neither does the image.

When I download your image and load it into Adobe Camera Raw, the red areas show where the highlights have been blown out, which means there is no data there to recover, i.e. no texture at all.




There are techniques that let you get shots like this, but they require multiple exposures, preferably using a tripod. The resultant images are then blended in software (HDRI or Exposure Fusion) or can be manually blended in post.

[skitterbug]

Hi Arno ~ Thanks for looking at my work and offering suggestions. I've tried a few conversions of photos but haven't been completely successful with them. I like your idea and will give it a go and see if I can accomplish a decent finished product. If I do, I'll post it. If it is a complete "bust" then it will end up in my overloaded rubbish bin! <LOL>

Sandy, great images! Have you considered processing these as B&W? I find that when I shoot in the middle of the day in overcast, flat light, I tend to gravitate toward B&W processing, since the colors get muted and are not generally the focal point in that type of light.

As color images I prefer #2, but I think #1 has the tremendous promise as a monochrome image. Boosting the contrast and clarity adjustments, with some curves adjustment would really bring out the texture of the old concrete and focus the eye there. The challenge for B&W is that the sky is a bit blown out, so you'd need to darken that considerably to keep the eye from inadvertently getting too drawn to it.

[skitterbug]

Sandy - photography is all about the light and when the light does not work, neither does the image.

I'm slowly coming to grips with camera settings and light - that's probably the most important aspect of photo work. Believe it or not, until about a week ago, I didn't completely understand the light meter on my camera and how to use it efficiently. Adding to my confusion, then I've read that many don't trust the "in camera" light meter that I think I've figured out, but would rather have a hand held......

When I download your image and load it into Adobe Camera Raw, the red areas show where the highlights have been blown out, which means there is no data there to recover, i.e. no texture at all.

I'm not sure which image you are referring to - the bridge pic perhaps? Your link doesn't work for me.

I would really like to get a decent photo of this iconic bridge that has been part of our landscape for eons it seems. You can see the deterioration happening in the photos I've posted so I would guess eventually some person will want to tear it down and rebuild. <sigh> What you can't see is all the clutter around this bridge. There isn't a clear shot of it from any angle that I have found yet. My hope of getting this photo may not work out.

Thanks for checking out my pics!

[skitterbug]

Week 41 ~ more attempts in trying to figure out how to get decent pics.
As I mentioned in my post to Manfred, I realized a bit better how to use the in camera light meter and decided to switch to manual settings - but left the ISO on Auto. That may have been a mistake because several had too high of ISO and the resulting pics were filled with "noise" that even I could see.

But I have two I want to share for comment.
The first one is from a trip to Indiana to visit my sister. She is in a retirement community and of course we had to stroll around the property! Once again, it was overcast and drizzling. Will this weather ever clear up?
Camera settings ISO500 ~ 55mm ~ f/6.3 ~ 1/80ss
Pond with water feature


We are being threatened with frost in about a week so the annual flowers will probably be history when that happens. Pansies are more hardy so it is anyone's guess what will happen to them! But of course I had to take one more pic!
Camera setting: ISO125 ~ 55mm ~ f/5.6 ~1/80

[Manfred M]

I've read that many don't trust the "in camera" light meter that I think I've figured out, but would rather have a hand held......

Your in-camera light meter is superior to a hand-held meter in most circumstances, but it important to understand how it works and under which conditions it can be fooled. It works most of the time in "average" conditions, but a scene that is very bright; for instance shooting a bird in the sky or a snow-scape will result in an underexposure. A night scene will often result in an overexposure. A hand-held meter is useful in studio photography with flash, but offers no advantages, in fact a major disadvantage, in the type of shot you are taking.

Learn to read the histogram display on your camera, and that can help augment the meter reading.

I'm not sure which image you are referring to - the bridge pic perhaps? Your link doesn't work for me.

There was an issue with images from TinyPic loading for an hour or so. It seems to be working again.

[Dave Humphries]

Oh Sandy,

Why did you have to put that link in to the article on the bridge - it suckered me in - then I had to see whether it was still in use by looking on Google maps/satellite, as it looks rather 'unmaintained'. Then I had to try and trace the old route of the railroad through the centre (sorry, center) of town before the bridge was built (success!). But really; I'm glad you did link it.

On week 41, I think the fountain picture would be a slightly stronger composition with a bit cropped off the top, to remove the distraction of the building and balustrade/balcony 'up there'. Also wondered about a small crop off right hand side as there's not much going on over there.

Cheers,
Dave