Drain in White
This is a variation on my HDR experiments at the Ross Bay storm drain – both of these pictures are tone-mapped from a single long exposure, not from multiple exposures like the others I have shown, and will also show tomorrow. Today’s pictures are both made from the same image.
This photo is processed within Photomatix from one image in an attempt to make the water look very smooth and creamy. I did not quite pull it off, but it is part of my learning curve and I really like how the drain is so well highlighted in both these versions – nice to have the drain standing out from the water by being lighter and brighter. And a nice change to have the drain in a bright and light setting.
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Canon 5Dii, Canon 50/1.4 lens, ISO100, f-22, 8 seconds
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burnt embers 
I found something highly emotional in these pieces for some reason. Particularly the B&W, although it seems that most prefer the color version. Fabulous composition here, my friend, you’ve done an outstanding job in both the capture and the processing!
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Thank you Toad. I really like the zig zag lines that are possible with this drain and its backdrop, not the first time I have exploited them. The processing pleases me too.
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Beautiful and a little eerie at the same time – the pale colors of the first one make it a real study in high-key cool tones.
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Thank you Lynn. Eerie could be the passing whales, or submarines, both of which transit these waters on a regular basis.
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Lovely work ehpem! I really like the effect of the long exposure here. The color image is my favorite of the two.
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Thank you Mike, and it is so nice to have you coming by my blog and commenting. I have been enjoying your shots of rural West Virginia, those barns and streams and especially the interior of that Chevy a week or two ago.
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Personally, the B&W lacks that certain…well, I prefer the colour! 😀 I’ve enjoyed this adventure you have been on lately, keep em coming!
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Thanks a lot David. I have a few more – not sure if they are one or two day’s worth. Then I have to get out with my camera and try other techniques.
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LOVE, the colour version, it’s so mysterious! both a very beautiful, actually, but I love the subtle colours. Again, It looks frosty!, But magical.
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Thanks Karen. It looks like everyone is lining up for the colour, deserved in this instance I think. I like the subtlety of colour as well. I find it interesting how that band of blue below the horizon could be converted into something almost black in the other treatments I have tried, like yesterday’s picture, and Drain Clouds II a few days ago.
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Ehpem, these are just lovely. I really love the first one, it looks soft as the water cascades over the drain.
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Thank you Mrs. Toad! I prefer the colour version too. It is that soft look that I have been seeking. More soft coming up tomorrow.
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Ooooo.
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🙂 I think that comment says it all… Glad you like it.
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I know you are looking for that glassy water effect you get from long exposures as you’ve illustrated a while back. I honestly don’t know how long the exposure has to be to get that look but I like these just the way they are, especially the color shot. Have you tried a plug-in like Topaz Adjust or Simplify? They have a softening or blur filter that might do the trick.
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Hi Ken. I have not tried those – I haven’t explored any plug-ins other than the HDR one. But, I should. I have a timer for my camera to get over the 30 second limit too, and just need to go out in low light conditions – this was middle of the day. My ND filter in strong light only gets me down to 20 or 30 seconds. So, I have things to try in-camera still, and it has been suggested to me also that I should try some adjusting some white balance settings and other things like that.
In any case, I like this picture too just the way it is.
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Stunning, really a stunning picture.
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Thank you Robert! And welcome to burnt embers, I hope to see you back again.
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