Results 1 to 8 of 8

Thread: The Sentinel Sleeps

  1. #1
    BPN Member Bill Jobes's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Pennsylvania
    Posts
    1,275
    Threads
    91
    Thank You Posts

    Default The Sentinel Sleeps

    Attached Images Attached Images
     
    A Nike Hercules air defense guided missile, its work done, rests in eternal sleep.

    Throughout the Cold War this missile, and others in its fleet, defended New York Harbor against the threat of Soviet bombers.

    Photo taken at Ft. Hancock on Sandy Hook, NJ.

    Sony NEX-7
    Sony-Zeiss 16-70mm lens at 16mm
    Handheld
    Full-frame
    Aperture Priority at F/8
    ISO 400
    Raw conversion via DxO Optics Pro 9
    Processed in CS 6
    Bill Jobes



    www.billjobes.com

    My BPN Gallery

    Walk Softly and Carry a Big Lens

  2. #2
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Location
    Colorado
    Posts
    1,647
    Threads
    83
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Love this sky. As a fellow user of DxO Optics Pro 9, I see some artifacts in the grass that makes believe that you raised the Shadow level just a touch too much; however, if I weren't a DxO user, I'd probably not notice it. Did you use DxO's PRIME noise reduction here. I would try it here. In this size, I'm not certain if I see some Luminance noise, but I think I do. PRIME does a good job, but I find that I usually apply less than the default, in order to preserve details.

    Anyway, great scene and shots.

  3. #3
    BPN Member Bill Jobes's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Pennsylvania
    Posts
    1,275
    Threads
    91
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Thanks David, those are great suggestions. I did play with it in DxO, and really don't recall if I used Prime !

    I'll be mindful of its power next time.
    Bill Jobes



    www.billjobes.com

    My BPN Gallery

    Walk Softly and Carry a Big Lens

  4. #4
    BPN Member Morkel Erasmus's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    South Africa
    Posts
    14,858
    Threads
    1,235
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Hey Bill. Nice scene and thanks for the back-info for us non-US citizens
    I like the dynamic range you were able to capture (assuming it's a single exposure here?) - although a 2-exposure blend would probably have been my approach here.
    The magenta in the water and sky bugs me - very strong and looks a bit unnatural - did you push the saturation/vibrance a bit too much?
    I think it could do with some more midtone contrast and a hint of shadow recovery (but not too much).

    Happy New Year!!
    Morkel Erasmus

    WEBSITE


  5. #5
    BPN Member Bill Jobes's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Pennsylvania
    Posts
    1,275
    Threads
    91
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Attached Images Attached Images
     
    Thanks Morkel -- glad you like the photo.

    Yes, it was one exposure, hand-held.

    The magenta in the water is the reflection from the sunset. I could enhance or lighten it to taste.

    I used a CP filter when taking the photograph, and did a fair amount of saturation and vibrance enhancement in post, to create a quasi-HD, dramatic impact.

    Here is the original capture, converted from raw to jpeg, to show my starting point in the post processing. As you can see, I also did some selective cyan desat on the missile to show its true color.
    Bill Jobes



    www.billjobes.com

    My BPN Gallery

    Walk Softly and Carry a Big Lens

  6. #6
    Lifetime Member Rachel Hollander's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    NYC
    Posts
    14,320
    Threads
    929
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Hi Bill - as a New Yorker, this is an interesting photo. I had no idea. You've gotten good suggestions above.

    TFS,
    Rachel

  7. #7
    Landscapes Moderator Andrew McLachlan's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Location
    Thornton, Ontario
    Posts
    6,039
    Threads
    480
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Hi Bill, I like the repost best with the reduction in the magenta. Thanks for sharing the history on these missiles.

  8. #8
    BPN Member Bill Jobes's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    Pennsylvania
    Posts
    1,275
    Threads
    91
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Thanks, Rachel and Andrew.

    Glad to share some history, which I happen to know quite well. A long time ago I spent a year in Korea with a U.S. Army air defense artillery battalion that deployed Nike-Herules and Hawk missiles.
    Bill Jobes



    www.billjobes.com

    My BPN Gallery

    Walk Softly and Carry a Big Lens

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Web Analytics