Taken at Pritzker Pavilion - Chicago, IL
If Millennium Park is not high on your list of Chicago locations to shoot, it should be. Millennium Park includes such icons as Cloud Gate (The Bean), Crown Fountain, and Pritzker Pavilion just to name a few spots.
It's also only a short walk from Navy Pier and the Museum of Modern Art. As I've mentioned in other posts, and my friend Chris Smith points out in his blog, there are also free public restrooms here.
Depending on the time of day you visit, you may get to see the pavilion lit up (at night). The lights change colors from deep reds (pictured here), to cool blues, and bright white / silver.
Camera settings:
Canon 7d
15-85 lens
7-shot panorama (each shot was a set of 5 HDR images).
For another angle of the pavilion, click here.
Special thanks to Chris for showing me this spot. His version of this image is here.
More Information
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pritzker_Pavilion
www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/dca/supp_info/millenn...
www.cityofchicago.org/city/en.html
Are you on Facebook or Google+?
Google+ | Facebook | Twitter | Tumblr
Tags: 2012 canon 7d outdoor 15-85 photomerge panorama photostitching chicago millennium park skyline cityscape lights hdr high dynamic range windy city pavilion concert music theater architecture best chicago architecture night long exposure fun friend out of chicago pano pritzker stock art screen saver stock photography artwork frameable art stock
Here's hoping that your 2013 is both healthy and prosperous!
Explore #137 - Thank you everyone for your kind words!
Best viewed in Black - Press "L" now.
For another view of this place, click here.
Taken at Pritzker Pavilion - Chicago, IL
This photo was made by taking the center section from this image. Here is the process I followed.
Camera settings:
I prefer to shoot with a small aperture - F14 or so works well. I normally choose a lower ISO like 200 or 400 but you can use whatever you are comfortable with. Higher ISOs will introduce more noise, but will reduce the amount of shutter speed you need.
Set your camera on Manual or aperture priority and start with ISO 200 or 400. In Manual you will have to use your light meter to judge the shutter speed. In aperture priority you will have to use your exposure compensation to make the HDR images.
Helpful hint - you will be working a long time if you shoot at ISO 100 at night. 30 second shutter speeds don't sound bad once or twice, but if your shooting 21 of them that is a long time to make one picture.
Making the picture
1) Layout the final panorama in your mind first. How wide of a space are you planning on shooting? If you are shooting a scene that is wider than it is tall, then use a portrait orientation for each individual source image. If it's taller than it is wide, then you should shoot in landscape orientation. Regardless of what you decide to use, you can not mix landscape and portrait source images in the final panorama. You should always use a tripod, and always make a few practice passes to ensure your camera will not cut off any portions of the scene as you are traversing the camera left to right (or up and down).
2) Once you have your plan, it's time to start shooting. I normally work from left to right. This makes it easier to edit the pictures later. You will need to make 3 to 5 images 1 stop apart to create the HDR effect. If you are a Canon shooter, each click of the wheel is 1/3 of a stop. So three clicks gives you 1 full stop. Don't adjust your aperture, always adjust your shutter speed.
3) Panning the camera. After you have your first set of source images, it's time to move your camera to the next section. A good rule of thumb is to overlap 1/3 of the frame from one section to the next. If your camera has the "rule of thirds" lines in live view or in the view finder, this will help you line everything up. Be sure to keep everything level. Also be sure you are giving yourself enough room around the objects you want in the final frame.
4) Lather, Rinse, Repeat. Keep repeating this until you have worked your way across the frame. The "smaller" the bites you take in each section, the less distortion you will have to contend with in photoshop. I like to shoot most panoramas around 50mm or 60mm, but I use a crop sensor.
5) Off to Photomatix or HDR Efx. Once you have all of your images, you need to edit each section into one (1) HDR image. When you are done with this step, you should have 5 or 6 or even 8 or 9 HDR images that fill in the entire panorama when put together. Be sure to save your settings during the first edit so you can apply it to the rest of the images. This will ensure a consistent look when you're done.
6) Import to Photoshop. The last step is saving them all as JPEGs and importing them using "automate" in photoshop. I normally just use the "automatic" panorama option, and since I'm not a photoshop expert I can't really comment on the differences in all of the photo merging options in CS4 and CS5. Maybe someone else can comment on this?
The computer will put all the images together. All you have to do is flatten the layers, crop as needed and start editing like a normal picture. Putting a border on the image can add a nice effect, but it's your image so do what you like.
That's about it. I might be missing some things, if so I apologize.
Some other helpful hints:
- Use a remote shutter release and a tripod
- Be sure to manually focus your camera once and then turn your autofocus AND your image stabilization off. This will ensure that you have a sharp image throughout the panorama.
- Go with a friend
- Try something ambitious or new
- Have fun and share it on Flickr. It's supposed to be fun, right?
Follow me here, too!
Google+ | Facebook | Twitter | Tumblr
Tags: 2012 canon 7d 15-85 outdoor night chicago illinois windy city tourism travel fun panorama panoramic pano urban city midwest long exposure nighttime darkness lonely empty architecture landscape friends pavilion venue stadium amphitheater concert play dramatic hdr chris smith out of chicago New Year's Eve pritzker pritzker pavilion explore explored stock art screen saver stock photography artwork frameable art stock
View On Black
The top of the dome is more than 275 feet above the ground. The rotunda and its artwork are the highlight of the tour for most people. The dome itself is constructed of iron and brick and covered with 23 carat gold. The gold leafing was replaced in 1964-1965 at a cost of $79,938. The rotunda beneath the dome is 67 feet in diameter.
From Wikipedia:
The beauty, dignity, and arrangement of the interior become apparent as a visitor stands under the dome of the first floor. Broad, lofty corridors extend west, north, and south. Walls are highly decorated and the rooms and chambers of the capitol have a wide variety of Iowa wood as well as imported marble. Twenty-nine types of imported and domestic marble were used in the interior; and the wood used — walnut, cherry, catalpa, butternut, and oak — was nearly all from Iowa forests.
The architectural design of the Capitol, rectangular in form, with great windows and high ceilings, follows the traditional pattern of 19th century planning for public buildings. A modified and refined Renaissance style gives the impression of strength and dignity combined with utility.
Shot with a Canon 7d and 15-85 (six frames shot in a circle - 60 degrees apart).
Follow me here, too!
Google+ | Facebook | Twitter | Tumblr | Fluidr
Tags: 2011 canon 7d 15-85 photostitching photoshop rotunda cupola dome capitol large gold ornate painting mural sky flag des moines iowa government building architectural architecture restore restoration pillars beautiful square round midwest des moines des moines is not boring
View On Black
Our 2-year old was having a great time helping set out some presents for Christmas. He was "Santa's Helper" and seemed content to help as long as he got some presents, too. There is one ornament on the tree that he always gravitated to - it was a refrigerator with little pies and cookies in it. He REALLY likes cookies.
I really like this image since it seemed to catch the wonderment of a 2-year old on Christmas.
strobist:
6 shot HDR with one extra shot using YN-560 on 1/32 power and 120mm (it's behind the tree aimed at Nate).
Follow me here, too!
Google+ | Facebook | Twittert | Tumblr
Canon 7d and 15-85.
Tags: 2011 canon 7d indoor 15-85 hdr christmas holiday family fun children child wonderment wonder awe strobist lighting radio trigger off camera flash colorful tree christmas tree house iowa presents santa's helper winter sunrise
One of my favorite places to be at sunset. Halfway between Woodward and Madrid, IA on the Trestle Trail Bridge.
Starting 30 minutes before sunset, the lights come on. You really have to see it in person to appreciate this bike trail.
More Information:
Iowa Trails Home
Download the Trail App
Connect with me here, too!
Google+ | Facebook | Twitter | Tumblr
Tags: 2015 Des Moines Outdoor Summer bike path bridge love madrid trestle trail woodward bike bicycle purple paths sunset twilight screensaver computer desktop background