I took this image (actually multiple images) while in Brisbane for a work trip in April this year. I was going to drive to Mount Coot-Tha lookout which is a great vantage point to see the city from, but as I was driving across the Story bridge, this view greeted me and I couldn’t resist. It was 1am when I took this series and I stayed there until about 2. I only saw 2 other people and a few cars and trucks. Apart from that it was almost dead silent!
This is a blend of 15 images, then blended into 5 frames. Those 5 frames were then stitched together to create the panorama. Each frame was created by blending up to 6 images (3 RAW files from camera, then made into virtual copies in Lightroom with exposures changed by 1 stop increments to gain maximum detail) using Tufusion and then imported into Photoshop along with the darkest frame. I then used luminosity masking to extract just the brightest details from the darkest exposure.
Shot with a Canon EOS 40D using a Tamron 17-35mm lens. Manfrotto 190D/141RC Tripod and a KingPano panoramic tripod head. A cable release was used to trigger the shutter to avoid shake from bumping the camera.
Settings: Aperture – F/5.6 Shutter Speed – from 1 second to 15 seconds per frame. ISO – 500.
Beautiful capture and excellent processing, Sounds like a lot of work but well worth the effort. Well done.
Thanks Rod. Yes it certainly was a lot of work. I’m glad it turned out as it did. The fast-moving sky meant I had to shoot quickly. Plus, occasionally a car or bus would go across the bridge and shake it, so I had to wait for the shaking to stop before I could release the shutter! If the clouds were still, I would have shot a few more shorter exposures to really get the most out of the highlight detail, but as it was I didn’t have the opportunity. Anyway, the sky is more dramatic when ‘flying past’ like that anyway. :)
Comments
Beautiful capture and excellent processing, Sounds like a lot of work but well worth the effort. Well done.
Thanks Rod. Yes it certainly was a lot of work. I’m glad it turned out as it did. The fast-moving sky meant I had to shoot quickly. Plus, occasionally a car or bus would go across the bridge and shake it, so I had to wait for the shaking to stop before I could release the shutter! If the clouds were still, I would have shot a few more shorter exposures to really get the most out of the highlight detail, but as it was I didn’t have the opportunity. Anyway, the sky is more dramatic when ‘flying past’ like that anyway. :)
– AllshotsImaging