Author Archives: Bri Duncan

WWII and Washington Memorials at Night

Posted on June 14th, 2012 by

What the What?

Two posts this week? What? Yep, I am having so much of a good time taking and processing photos I figured I need to step up my game. As a side note I have been reading Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers where he professes the need to spend 10,000 hours to become an expert at any task. More processing and photo taking makes for a quicker path to 10,000 hours! WAHOO!

Blue Hour

I am finding that I really love blue hour. The quality of the light in the sky is just wonderful. It’s also interesting to me how quickly blue hour ends and the lights from the city overwhelm the good light. I took this photo at 8:57pm…4 minutes later I had stepped to the right to shoot the Washington Monument straight on and the sky was an awful sickly salmon color.

New Monuments

Every time a new monument gets put up on the National Mall, there is a controversy. The first time we visited DC, the WWII memorial was in the planning stages. The second time it was under construction. While my Grandfather was a veteran of WWI (Navy in the Pacific) I had mixed feeling about the placement of the memorial. Seeing the completed memorial has completely changed my mind. It really just fits there…like it should have been there all along.

Technicals

This was a 3 bracket series (-2, 0, +2) processed with Photomatix. It was cleaned up in Photoshop and modified with Nik Color Efex Pro 4 (Tonal Contrast) and Sharpener Pro. The final work was done in Adobe Lightroom 4.

HDR Photography
WWII and Washington Memorials at Night by W. Brian Duncan

Union Station Kansas City MO

Posted on June 11th, 2012 by

Pop In for a Quick Photo

You never know where an interesting photo may present itself. We were in downtown KC for WordcampKC and during lunch decided to take a walk around. Who would think Union Station in Kansas City Missouri would have been so quiet. Really quiet. There were really only a handful of people and that let me capture a really empty hall with some interesting light.

Sticks (Tripod)

I was also surprised the guards didn’t seem to mind me using a mini tripod. I had left the Really Right Stuff sticks behind, but I had my new Manfrotto 709B DIGI (link to 209 legs with a different head). It’s TINY and fits nicely in your bag. Its pretty stable even for the 16-35mm lens and I can fold the legs up under the lens using the ballhead in a way most people wouldn’t notice you even had a tripod on your camera. Its like tripod stealth mode! While the ballhead is less than stellar, it is functional and this unit is a MUST for your camera bag.

Technicals

This is a 3 bracket series (-2, 0, +2) processed in Photomatix, Nik Software’s Color Efex Pro 4 (Tonal Contrast) and Sharpener Pro. The final touches were added in Adobe Lightroom 4.

HDR Photography
Union Station Kansas City MO by W. Brian Duncan

Behind the Lincoln Memorial

Posted on June 4th, 2012 by

A New Kind of Travel

An interesting thing happened to me recently. I needed to take a bit of time off work else I would lose the time so I decided to take off the week of Memorial Day. I have been collecting frequent flyer miles for some time and thought to myself, why don’t go somewhere and photograph. JUST me and my camera. While I enjoy going places with my wife (and #1 best camera assistant), it was interesting to meander and linger where the photos took me. Pamela is exceptionally patient when I “artist-out” and lose myself in photographing. I can sometimes spend hours taking photos of the same darn place, but I am also conscious of her and want her vacation time to be fun as well. This trip was different, not better mind you, but different. It was more work than anything, but never felt a bit unlike passion.

Bad Shoes! BAD!

I have been to Washington D.C. three times now so I know a few things about the layout of the National Mall. For one, much of the trails are made up of tiny gravel and dirt. It gets on your shoes and I decided it would be better to wear an old pair of tennis shoes so as not to get one of my good pairs filthy. Little did I remember just how massive the National Mall really is and after the first day my feet were really sore from all the walking. By the second day I had developed five sizable blisters on my feet (mostly the left) and could barely walk. Pro-Tip…always wear good, comfortable, supportive shoes when going to a big city that requires more walking they you are used to.

Technicals

This is a 9 exposure bracket (-4, -3, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4) taken on a Canon 5D Mark II (Magic Lantern Loaded) with a 16-35mm f2.8 II lens at 35mm, mounted on a Really Right Stuff tripod and ball-head. The brackets were combined in Photomatix, exported to Photoshop, cleaned up, tonal contrast and sharpening applied with Nik Software. Finish work was done in Adobe Lightroom 4 (contrast, color, crop, clarity, etc). This photo is from the back side of the Lincoln Memorial about an two hours before sunset.

HDR Photography
Behind the Lincoln Memorial by W. Brian Duncan

The Louvre

Posted on May 28th, 2012 by

The Museum-Fortress-Palace

Before The Louvre was one of the worlds finest collections of art, it was a palace; an ENORMOUS palace (over 650,000 square feet of exhibition space)! Before that, a fortress, complete with moats to keep out the invading hoards. All being told, this type of art isn’t my favorite (though lady Mona is exquisite). If I wanted realistic depictions of the world I would rather see a photograph. It not that I don’t appreciate the technical aspects, the sheer age or the masterful talent…it just doesn’t speak to me the same way a Van Gogh does. Maybe that explains quite a bit of why I photograph the way I do…I am looking for feeling, emotion, movement, color. HDR plays with all of these.

A Number of Attempts

When we visited France, it rained quite a bit. The skies were a dull grey for much of the first few days of our visit. But around the middle of our journey, we started to get some blue sky and I kept dragging Pamela back to places we had already been for a second opportunity to photograph in better light. This is one such example of an afternoon of sun and wonderful blue skies.

Technicals

This is a three shot bracket (-2, 0, +2) on a Canon 5D Mark II on a 50mm f1.4, combined in photomatix. All remaining processing was done in Lightroom 4.

Happy Memorial Day Everyone!

HDR Photography
The Louvre by W. Brian Duncan

The Driskill Bikes

Posted on May 21st, 2012 by

Rain Falls Down

SXSWi 2012 was a wet experience…at least for the first part. It rained so much flights were delayed, attendees were waterlogged, and the general mood was dour. Would that stop photographers from going on a photowalk? Hardly! While the turnout for this particular event wasn’t mind blowing or as record setting as was hoped it was a fun opportunity to hang out with a bunch of other photographers taking pictures of Austin in the rain. Luckily by the time the walk happened, the rain had tappered down to a mild drizzle. This was of course much better the the torrential downpours that had been delaying flights.

And Now for Something Completely Different

This was a bracketed shot, but in the end I didn’t like the processing I got out of Photomatix. I ended up just using the normal exposure and processing this entire photo in Adobe Lightroom 4. I ended up using quite a bit of clarity as well as moving to a 1:1 crop. The image was shot at 35mm f2.8 on a 16-35mm, 1/1000 sec, ISO 1600.

HDR Photography
The Driskill Bikes by W. Brian Duncan

Abstract Arch

Posted on May 14th, 2012 by

An Abstract Gateway

We recently took a trip to St Louis, Missouri where we visited the downtown area and Gateway Arch or as some say, The Gateway to the West. I chuckled as I straddled the mid-point stepping back and forth saying to my wife…I am in the west, no the east, no the west. I took a good deal of photos of the arch, many of them abstract. There are so many people milling around the arch at sunset that most of my full scope shots ended up feeling cluttered. It was however good to see so many photographers down there near sunset trying to get some interesting shots. I think perhaps the best shot may have been across the river, but as Chimney Man says to Jelly (see Jelly’s Last Jam):

Ever hear of East St. Louis? Piss me off again n’ you gonna be giggin’ in ole West Hell. Even the devil doesn’t go there after dark.

HDR Photography
Abstract Arch by W. Brian Duncan

Crystal Bridges

Posted on May 7th, 2012 by

Art in Arkansas

Sometimes people and places can surprise you. The recently opened Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville Arkansas is one of those. It is a sprawling complex with immaculate landscaping and some amazing architecture. We started roaming around the grounds just after dawn and spent all morning walking the trails and touring the museum.

Photographer’s Troubles

I initially had a bit of trouble convincing the security guards that I should be there. The kept trying to shoo me away. The grounds are open from sunrise to sunset, but I found with security personal this can be somewhat open to interpretation. We arrived Saturday night around 6:45 and were told the grounds were closed. Once the sun is below those trees, I close up for the night, one guard told us. I should have issued a challenge (but but but my pictures look better at sunset), but we decided to come back at dawn. This time I argued, nicely of course as these guys are just doing their job. After a short discussion we were allowed on the grounds early Sunday morning.

So Much to See

I will probably be processing several of these shots from the exterior of the museum over the next few months. I have a good number of photos from the trip that could use some work. The new tripod has made a HUGE difference to my workflow. No more aligning brackets, everything is seamless. Further rock solid stability of my Really Right Stuff tripod means I can shoot at ISO 100 making noise less prevalent.

HDR Photography
Crystal Bridges by W. Brian Duncan

Palmer House

Posted on April 30th, 2012 by

Walking the Streets of Chicago

On my last trip to Chicago, I got a bit of time just to roam the streets downtown. It was a great day for a photowalk and I had a great time just meandering. Often carrying a camera makes you a target for all sorts of harassment. The police these days seem to be overly suspicious of why anyone would want to take a picture of anything. People get mad if you get in their way or stop on the sidewalk for a look around (stupid tourists). On this trip I was yelled at by a guy asking for a bus fare. He repeatedly told me, “I’m not a bum!”. To which I said I was sorry I didn’t have any cash. He cursed at me and stormed off muttering something about my wallet full of cash. Obviously he doesn’t know about the airline mile earning credit cards I used to get to Chicago in the first place. Really sir…I don’t carry any cash.

Palmer

I took this shot of the Historic Palmer House Marquee. Little did I realize at the time I missed an awesome photo opportunity inside as the lobby is apparently gorgeous.

HDR Photography
Palmer House by W. Brian Duncan

Le Consulat

Posted on April 23rd, 2012 by

Noir Streets

It had been raining most of the day in Paris. The streets were still very damp the night Pamela and I walked the hill to Sacre Coeur through Montmartre. I had been looking for the Le Consulat building, everyone takes a photo of it when they visit Montmartre; it sort of stands out among the other buildings. Because of the rain the cobblestone streets in this old part of town seemed very black. Much like one of those wonderful old Film Noir movies I so love. I was, photographically speaking, happy for the continuing mist that kept things damp that night, even though it made for a chillier walk. I think Pamela described the mist with different words.

On Other Photographers

There probably isn’t much doubt that I really enjoy my photography. I take it more seriously than a good number of things and as such I spend quite some time scouring the web looking for inspiration, ideas…challenges to issue to myself. I recently stumbled upon (actually it was Google+) a photographer named Elia Locardi who runs the site Blame the Monkey. I was blown away by Elia’s work with color. It made me stop and think about where I place my emphasis during post. His work seemed to issue a challenge to me to pay closer attention to leading the viewer’s eye and color in my own images. Today’s photo of Le Consulat is a step in that direction.

HDR Photography
Le Consulat by W. Brian Duncan

Basilique du Sacré-Cœur

Posted on April 16th, 2012 by

Sacrebleu

High atop Montmartre in Paris is the Basilique du Sacré-Cœur (Basilica of the Sacred Heart). Built in just under 40 years between 1875 and 1914, the Byzantine inspired structure was built, in the words of the Arch-Bishop at the time “expiate the crimes of the Commune”.

Time to Pay UP People

You see, Montmatre is a bit seedy; and apparently has always been the place to go to for cheap wine and all the other things that go along with cheap wine. Honestly, I didn’t find it all that shocking…Times Square in the 90’s was more of an event, but to be honest we didn’t venture in to Pigalle (Pig Alley) where the real action is proported to be located. Since it sits at the summit of Montmartre, the basilica offers one of the best views in Paris.

HDR Photography
Basilique du Sacré-Cœur by W. Brian Duncan