John Street Roundhouse - Part 3

Part 1 | Part 2

My final HDR image of John Street Roundhouse series includes a shot of locomotive Canadian Pacific 7069. Built in 1948 this particular model is officially known as Baldwin DS4-4-1000. It was privately owned and worked in Vancouver area for most of its life before ending up at John Street Roundhouse. Since 7069 doesn't have much history in Ontario the museum is looking to trade it to a good home.

As usual, I took bracketed (-2 to +2) exposures then merged them in Photomatix for tonemapping and finally cleaned up in Photoshop to create the final image. But first a look at original shot will reveal a general lacking of features in the image. Sky is almost blown out and highlights are too dark.



Original image at normal exposure

After tonemapping in Photomatix sky became excessively "dirty", I tried remixing with -2 exposure to give it more natural look. But the resulting image didn't look normal at all. So I opened tonemapped and -2 exposure images on their own layers and changed layer option to "overlay". This removed some of the "dirty" sky and produced color temperature that seemed to blend well with rest of the image. The sky still remained darker, but I wanted a "gloomy" look in the final image. Finally I applied some cropping and Nik's "Pro Contrast" filter to make the picture pop. Here is the final product.



Final image. Click to view large version.

I would like to share some insights I learned while working on these images:

• Always use a tripod if you can help it - even though Photomatix tries to align source images, resulting image is still somewhat misaligned. I spend a great deal of time cleaning up third image of this series to remove "ghosting".
• HDR seems to work really well bringing out texture in rust and wood, so definitely take bracketed shots for subject of this nature
• Try to clean up "dirty" sky as much as possible - best option is to remix with -2 exposure and go from there
• Take shots at lower ISO value - since tonemapping almost always introduces noise, exposures at lower ISO will help minimize. If there is still visible noise try to clean up.
• Take plenty of shots from different angles, you never know which one will look best

Toronto Railway Heritage Centre is a must visit attraction located in the heart of downtown Toronto. I am looking forward to going back when they open  for public viewing. You can even volunteer if you're into that sort of things! Do you have some tips to share for creating HDR images? What works for you? What doesn't? I'd love to hear your thoughts on any of these images or your own.




John Street Roundhouse Part 2 - The War Engine

Today's HDR image is that of Canadian Pacific 7020, a switcher type locomotive. A switcher is used to pull out freight cars from different industry to put together a complete train when its larger more powerful counterpart takes over for the long haul. When the train reaches its destination another switcher breaks up the cars to deliver them as required. This particular model is one of many "war engines" acquired to meet increased demands during WWII. It was built by American Locomotive Company in partnership with General Electric in 1944 and was donated by CP in 1986 to City of Toronto for a museum on this spot.

 As before, this is the resulting image from hand held three shot exposures merged in Photomatix. Original images lacked details on the sky and failed to capture the bright orange on engine body and rusting front.  



Original image at normal exposure

I wanted to bring out orangish glow and increase rust texture to give it more "worn out" look. Tonemapping in Photomatix did a superb job of combining three exposures to increase color saturation in all areas of the photo. But it also made the sky look "dirty", as is the case with daytime HDR. So I mixed it with -2 exposure image to mask in the sky. Then I applied Lucis Art's "exposure" filter to give a slight pop. Finally I applied "Pro Contrast" filter from Nik's Color Effex. Here is the final product.
  

Final product. Click to see larger version.

Take a look at my previous entry here. Please come back for the last entry of this series featuring final locomotive engine in HDR from John Street Roundhouse.

John Street Roundhouse - part 1

My affinity with locomotives is a direct result of early experiences travelling on these magnificant machines, most of which took place in my native land Bangladesh. I vividly remember the thrills of waking up early to catch a train; gazing out the window to see gentle rice fields streached to horizons; countless rivers with plenty of activities and the lively platforms. I also remember seeing with interest locomotive engines bearing Canada's flag hinting at its birthplace. So it was with pleasure I discovered one of Toronto Railway Heritage Centre's feature site known as John Street Roundhouse located right beside my workplace. Recently I had the opportunity to bring my camera on a brief visit to capture some of the engines on display. The Roundhouse is currently closed for the season and slated to reopen in Spring of 2011. While the crew works on restoring artefectss, there are a few engines sitting on the tracks including one on turntable. And the best part is its all free!
The day was windy with sun hiding behind gray clouds. There wasn't enough ambient lighting for single exposures to capture the vibrant engine colors and I didn't have a tripod with me. So I opted for handheld bracketed exposures with hope of turning them into HDR. As it takes time to process these multi image exposures I'll post the results in installments.
Today's HDR image is that of CLC Whitcomb 50 Ton Centre Cab Switcher on Turntable. I dropped on my knees and inserted camera through an opening in railing to get a low perspective shot. Setting aparture at f4.0 and exposure brackets from -2 to +2 I held the camera as firmly as I could. The resulting images seemed to captured most of the lights. Here's the middle or "anchor" image at 0 exposure, not exactly what I had in mind.

I merged and tonemapped the 3 RAW pictures in Photomatix taking care not to over saturate. This resulting image was almost what I visualized the final result to be. Since there was no ghosting I didn't need original images to mix with tonemapped one. I just opened it in Photoshop and applied Nik's "Pro Contrast" filter which brought out colors on the engine body and intensified rust colors. I also clened up noise with Imagenomic Noiseware. Here is the final product:

Final product.

 Hope you come back for the next installation of this series featuring yet another locomative engine in HDR.

I carry your heart

I carry your heart with me (I carry it in

my heart) I am never without it (anywhere

I go you go, my dear; and whatever is done

by only me is your doing, my darling)

 E. E. Cummings



Original shot in RAW



I took this shot sometime during the Valentine's craze in a mall and forgot about it. Only recently while going through some old shots I thought this one had potential. I especially liked the juxtaposition of dangling heart and alarm. However, the white balance, luminance and overall color needed some work to make this picture more "dramatic". Fortunately it was in RAW format, so I opened it with Adobe Camera Raw and adjusted exposure and increased contrast, clarity and vibrance all the way. I also dropped saturation a little. This resulted in a yellowish tint over the entire image. Opening the image in Photoshop I applied Nik's Silver Effex Pro's "Antique Plate 1" filter. This got rid of the yellow/orange tint, but it also took out red in the heart. Layer Mask at 50% opacity brought some of the red back. Finally I applied a texture to give it a vintage look. Here is the final product.

Final product. Click to view large version.

I am dedicating this to my beloved wife, its her heart that I carry with me always...

Treasure Trove and Human Greed

Jwellery display at Eid mela in Toronto



Which one to pick?, originally uploaded by codepirate.

I took this shot a while ago at a Eid Mela here in Toronto. Eid Mela is a special event organized by Bangladeshi community of Toronto before Eid celebrations. (Muslims celebrate 2 Eids each year: Eid-al-Fitr marks end of Ramadan and Eid-al-Adha commemorating Prophet Abraham's sacrifice). Marchents selling traditional costumes and jewellery setup tiny stalls under one roof. You can think of it as a one stop shopping for all Eid essentials.

Obviously this is no HDR. I took the RAW image and enhanced vibrance and color contrast. I also applied vignette around the edges. That's aobut it.

Recently I was reading how the Egyptian officials are discovering stashes of treasures stowed away by Husni Mubarak's currupt regime. Fortunately the history has turned a page on these greedy individuals and people have emerged victorious (at least for now!). Now we're witnessing the fall of another power hungry ruler desperately clinging on in Libya. Here's to hoping end to human greed and victory for the people of Libya.

Flatiron building through my lens

Gooderham Building of Toronto, more commonly known as Flatiron building, was the first Flatiron building in North America. It was built in 1892 for a cost of $18000! Other Flatiron buildings are located in Atlanta and New York. You can find more info about this building in Wikipedia.

Every time I pass by this building I notice at least one photographer in the vicinity trying to capture the beautiful ornaments and subtle red brickwork contrasted against the backdrop of tall bank towers. This is such an iconic building in Toronto that I had to get my own shot. I wanted to create something that would pay tribute to the designers and architects while maintaing the true essence this building has come to represent. I am not sure how much I have succeeded.



Original Image in RAW



I didn't have a tripod with me, so I was left with no choice but to capture single RAW images. From the original shot you can see the details on the sky is completely blown out. The overall picture looks very dull. The image in my head was one of red/orange glow with subtly toned background. (On a side note: from studying professional photographers I have learned that you should envision the final result in your mind and try to get as close as possible with your image). Photomatix did the trick of bringing out red, but it also darkend the sky, as is the case with daytime HDR images. The sky on the original shot also didn't have very many details, so I couldn't use it to remix. I opted for Photoshop Dodge tool to lighten the sky. Then I desaturated whole image masking out the main subject to preseve red/orange glow. I also removed the distracting utility cable on the left. Here is the final product.




Final product, click to see larger version

 By the way, I don't post before and after images to brag about my Photoshop skills, actually far from it. My intention is to show you the potential of HDR and encourage you to give it a try. I think you will agree the final image looks much better than original, after applying a few tricks. This image ranks high on my personal favourite list. I'd love to hear your thoughts and suggestions.

The Comfy Royal York Hotel Concierge in HDR

Royal York Concierge, originally uploaded by codepirate.

This shot presented a few challenges. There were a lot of dimly lit lights hanging from the walls, ceiling and on tables. The fluorescent light made it difficult for the camera to distinguish various color tones. To make things worse I had only one RAW image to work with. I wanted to see what light I could extract from this single handheld shot. I did a tone mapping in Photomatix and then applied another tone mapping. This is the "double tone mapping" technique explained by Trey Ratcliff in his book A World in HDR. Bringing the picture in Photoshop I reduced the noise and played with Nik's Color Effext filters. I am happy with the final image. For a comparison here is the original image:

Notice the details on the ceiling in the HDR image vs this one? Comments and constructive criticism are certainly welcome.

Pearson Airport in Perspective

Before the invention of airplanes long distance travel used to be achieved by ships. I imagine major sea ports of the worlds held the same significance as the major airports of today. Sea or airports have the added responsibility of representing the city its located in. I've been to the Pearson Airport many many times. But never before I looked at it through the viewfinder of a camera. When I am travelling I'm more concerned about the weight of my luggage then the architecture of the airport. This time I was there to drop off my parents. So I had the luxury of marvelling the great work that went behind redesigning Terminal 1 of Pearson Airport and taking some shots of course.

I've been experimenting with HDR lately. I didn't have my tripod with me. All the shots were taken hand held. I created this HDR from a single RAW file using a Photoshop plugin called ReDynamix.

Here's another perspective. Notice how deserted the terminal looks. The adjacent counters had long lineups so I avoided them naturally.

 The high ceiling makes you feel like you're inside a stadium or something. Terminal 1 became operational in 2004 after the redesign with much fanfare.

And finally, here's a bar conveiently located to quench the thirst of weary travellers.

All major airports today have remarkable architecture, in part to showcase the prosperity and convey goodwill towards the host city. I think the new design is a much needed boost for the image of Pearson Airport as well as city of Toronto. Now only if they stopped charging so much for parking I'd be a happy camper.

So there you have it, my personal take on Terminal 1 of Pearson International Airport. What I like the most about the new design is the ceiling. I love the way it covers the whole terminal. I get the sensation of being inside a giant machine. What do you like about Pearson Airport? What do you dislike?

Let me show you Rouge Valley

I needed a fix for my photography cravings. Since I had the day off (Jan 4) to do anything I decided to go for a hike at Rouge Park. I was in for a treat!! The temperature hovered above freezing mark and I nearly had the whole park to myself. Ah, this is life! Clean crisp air, birds chirping above my head, the river making wonderful music on its way down. Who needs an iPod? Not being used to having a huge park to myself the smallest of sounds kept on startling me. But the breathtaking scenery made it worth the effort.

As I was climbing the cliff overlooking Rouge river I couldn't resist doing a panorama shot.

Another shot of the river.

I was passing through some tall trees when I had the eerie feeling of someone watching me.

This scene awaited me near the end of my trail. It was gorgeous. To recreate what my eyes saw I had to capture it in HDR. I was busy composing this shot when I heard barking sound. Along came a couple with their three dogs. The four legged creatures were very excited to see me, I wasn't. When they left I was glad to get back to more important things: taking photos.

On my way to the parking lot I noticed this unusual tree. It looked to me as if one tree was hugging another one with deep affection.

What do you think?

Well, I hope you enjoyed this little detour as much as I did being there physically. I highly recommend a visit to Rouge park. But be prepared to face the elements as no maintenance is done during winter months. Also, bring someone with you. You'll find more information here. Have you been there recently? Why not share your story.

Welcome!!

Welcome one and all!! I created this blog to share with everyone my journey into the world of photography. I want to share the joy and excitement of taking and viewing photographs that conjure emotions buried deep within us. I thank you for dropping by and encourage you to explore this blog and check out my Flickr page. Since this is a photography blog, I will start things right with this image below. Enjoy!!