Abandoned Nursing Facility in HDR

Abandoned nursing facility in "dark" HDR.

This set wast mostly an exercise in HDR (or High Dynamic Range) imaging, meaning multiple photographs taken at different exposure values are composited together to create one "evenly" exposed photograph.  I've personally been trying a few different methods in an attempt to zero in on a certain look I'd like to achieve. HDR is often abused (GUILTY!) but I am shooting for darker, muted scenes that lend to a moody atmosphere.

As an exercise, the photos from today were processed with Adobe Lightroom and Photomatix only... intentionally leaving Photoshop, ColorEFX Pro, and any other program or plugin out of my workflow.  While I do not use a lot of other plugins on a regular basis (however useful and good), leaving Photoshop out of the equation is something I just don't do....  But, I wanted to see what I could achieve with "just" the two apps.

Here are a few results, with a link to more at the bottom.  Enjoy!

Game on!

Left behind

The way out.

View all 12 photos in the set on Flickr, or Picasa.

Camera Gear Review: Tenba Messenger Mini

After getting into photography, I was quickly bit by the gear bug.  G.A.S., I call it. Gear Acquisition Syndrome.  It's always been a fault of mine...  I get interested in a hobby, then I go absolutely nuts buying associated gear and equipment.  Well, as you soon find out with photography, you can EASILY get carried away with extra gear, but even the most minimal of setups require a good bag (or bags) to hold it all.  You also soon find out that all those lenses, bodies, macro extensions, cleaning equipment, batteries, flashes, and alllll the other little doo-dads add up to quite a bit of weight!

My first camera bag was a loaner Nikon unit. It was a great little bag, but I outgrew it quickly once I moved into a larger body DSLR.  I immediately started looking at medium to large bags that would hold everything I had acquired up to this point.  After researching all the major brands, I waffled between the ThinkTank Retro 30, and the Domke F2.  I eventually went for the F2, and can't say that I've regretted it.  It holds all my main gear at the moment, it conforms to my body (if it's not absolutely stuffed), and it's rugged as hell. I can also take out the padded organizer inserts and use it as a small duffle bag. I'm sure to own this canvas bag for years to come.

As good as it is though, and as much as I needed the large camera bag, I ended up having a serious problem with the size of the F2.  Or, more to the point, my predilection to cram EVERYTHING in it.  This made it somewhat heavy and cumbersome to carry around on a daily basis, even with the optional foam-rubber shoulder pad.  I ended up carrying my camera less and less, until I eventually just left it at home when I would go about daily business.  This... is never good.  I could no longer carry my gear. At least comfortably....

Enter the Tenba Messenger Mini.

Tenba Messenger Mini

Urban Exploration Photography - Black & White Bathroom

While exploring an abandoned estate in East Texas, I took this photo of the master bathroom, showing the "His and Hers" wash basins, old iron radiator, and wall-mounted gas heater. I was originally going to scrap this particular shot, but after running through a few more ideas with it in Lightroom and Photoshop, I think it's a keeper.  It's a bit contrasty, but that's what I was going for...  :-)

To process this image, I used Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, Adobe Photoshop CS5, & Nik Software's HDREfex Pro using a variety of trial-and-error fiddling.  The basics though, are as follows:

• Create 6 virtual copies of the RAW exposure in Lightroom, resulting in 7 total images.
• Adjust each copy's Exposure Value in +/- 1 increments in both directions, giving an exposure range of -3 to +3.
• Export to HDREfex Pro. (I chose one of the monotone presets, your choice may vary) - fiddle with pretty much all the settings until you get something you like.
• Save the file, and open in Photoshop.
• After creating two copy layers, run a high pass filter on the middle layer. - This really helps sharpen the image.
  - This filter's setting depends on your image and the image size.
  - Starting at 0px, I essentially adjust the setting upward until I start seeing edges appear. These are the edges that will be sharpened.
  - Once applied, set this layer's blending mode to 'Hard Light' and adjust layer opacity if needed.
• Run the Gaussian Blur filter on the top layer (again, use your judgement for your own image)
• Set the top layer blend mode to Overlay, and set it's overall Opacity to about 50%
• On the same top layer, use the largest, softest eraser brush to eliminated just the main focal areas - The sharp area should come through, feathering out to a slight blur - basically an enhanced (or even faked) Depth Of Field effect.
• Merge your layers, add any other finishing touches, and save your file!

For more examples of Urban Exploration photography, check out my Flickr collection.
For even MORE examples of Urban Exploration photography, check out Scott's Filckr collection. 

For more commercial photography or graphic needs, check out www.Vis-FX.com