Tag Archives: Kansas City

The Jeweled Ceiling of Union Station

Posted on July 5th, 2012 by

Jewels

Ok…so maybe jeweled is a bit of a stretch, but it is really impressive looking. Perhaps not in the European Palatial sense, but I found it quite stunning. I shot from my tabletop tripod and kept expecting someone to tell me to get lost. The great thing about that little booger is that people don’t see it as a hazard like they do my larger tripod. I incur the wrath of many a security guard when trying to open my Really Right Stuff legs, but my tabletop…NOTHING! It’s like a tripod in stealth mode! I cant recommend one of these little guys enough.

Technicals

This was a 3 exposure bracket (-2, 0 +2), processed in Photomatix, exported to Photoshop to repair some burned out light bulbs, Tonal Contrast was added out the wazoo in Nik Color Efex Pro 4 as well as sharpening done in Sharpener Pro, final touch-up work was done in Lightroom 4.

HDR Photography
The Jeweled Ceiling of Union Station by W. Brian Duncan

The Kauffman Center By Day

Posted on June 18th, 2012 by

Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

I just can’t get over how cool looking the Kauffman Center is. It seems like a cross between the Sydney Opera House, the Guggenheim Museum and something with lots of glass. The last two times I have been in downtown Kansas City, I couldn’t help but be drawn to this place and takes its picture. This time I went more wide angle using the 16-35mm lens. Last time I used the 50 and shot at night. I would love to shoot the inside of this place as I am sure the hall is magnificent as well.

Technicals

This shot is an HDR three exposure bracket (-2, 0, +2) processed in Photomatix, exported to Photoshop and modified with the Nik Complete Collection (noise reduction, tonal contrast and sharping). Final adjustments were done in Adobe Lightroom 4.

HDR Photography
The Kauffman Center By Day 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

Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

Posted on December 4th, 2011 by

Up Close and Personal

One evening while visiting some friends in Kansas City, Missouri, we took a car ride around during a misty, cold fall evening. We happened to be driving to the Power and Light District when I eyed a crazy structure off to our left. It was the new Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. With obvious architectural ties to the Sydney Opera House and the Guggenheim it truly is an impressive building which I look forward to seeing inside some day.

HDR Photography
Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts by W. Brian Duncan