SoWA pictures

[RED_PDXer]

I can't speak for the developer (Pacific Retirement Services), but the last I heard, reservations for these units have been going well. It's a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC), allowing for a variety of types of care for senior citizens. This urban prototype was first explored by this developer in Seattle in South Lake Union and it did so well, they built all the phases at once, rather than slowly build out. That experience has certainly given them confidence in this endeavor, which is well situated adjacent to OHSU's facility. There's only one level of mechanized, valet-attended parking, which is good to see in some of the newer towers (parking density).. it's cheaper, allowing less costly units (though the units in this building are very pricey as I understand), and helps allow more room for active uses in the lowest levels of the building above street level (eyes on the street). Anyway, I hope it goes through.

[PacificNW]

The Portland Mirabella is in a class of its own when compared to the Seattle Mirabella.....actually, there is no comparison, architecturally.....

The Seattle Mirabella:

[Castillonis]

HDR high dynamic range image of SW Waterfront
I wanted to try out an HDR (high dynamic range) plugin for photoshop named photomatix. An HDR shot takes several photos of a subject at different exposures and reveals more detail in a combined image than any of those single photos would reveal by themselves. At times you can see something with your eye that you cannot capture with your camera. You can see the detail in a building, the sky, and a mountian, but the photographs that you take with your camera don't show what you can see. You say to yourself, "If only they could see the magical view that I can see". With an HDR plugin you can more closely recreate that image that you see with your eyes.

HDR image from three exposures, 800x600 (EDIT area near bushes lower right needs adjustment, too bright)

HDR image from two exposures, 800x600
http://aycu27.webshots.com/image/449...7935537_rs.jpg

How I exposed the photos used in the HDR image
I bracketed the shots in aperture priority mod (Av) at 0 stops (normal exposure), -2 stops, and +2 stops which yielded.
1/160 sec, f/8.0, 20.33 mm, 1600x1200 (normal exposure)

1/400 sec, (-2 stops, optimal exposure for sky+mountian)

1/60 sec (+2 stops, optimal exposure for revealing detail in shadows)


You keep the aperture the same so that all of you images have the same depth of field and the same things in focus. The camera automatically changes the shutter speed to give you exposures around the normal exposure. The underexposed photo (-2 stops) will show details of the snowy mountian and sky. The overexposed photo (+2 stops) will bring out the detail in the shadows.

HDRsoft's Photomatix plugin for photoshop
http://www.hdrsoft.com/

NOTE: I took these photos of the South West Waterfront at 17:51 on Mon 18Feb08.

[PacificNW]

Very cool!

[Sekkle]

Nice photo and thanks for the explanation. I have wondered about HDR and skimmed through some info about it, not really understanding too much. This makes sense, though.

One question - do you have to take three photos, or can you edit one photo after you've taken it, changing the exposure to (for example) -2 and +2 with Photoshop or some other software and saving separate copies, then use HDR software on those?

[bvpcvm]

uh, dumb question... you need a tripod to do this, right? or can you just shoot in RAW and somehow extract the data you need? usually HDR looks too unreal to me, but this shot looks great!

[Castillonis]

1. You should use a tripod.

2. You must take more than one exposure. The CCD or CMOS sensor in your camera is not able to sense as wide a range of dark to bright. You are combining multiple smaller range images together to resemble the wider range of the human eye. Your eye has many more rods (sensitivity to brightness) than cones {green (most), red, blue (least)}.

3. The phrase 'tone compression' means that you take that new combined images information and compress it to a smaller range that your monitor can display and resembles what your eye sees in real life. Your monitor doesn't have as wide of a range of brightness as the human eye.

4. You are able to adjust the resultant image w/ the plugin. This is the first time I have used the plugin, so I did not use the adjustments. I also shot these as jpegs instead of RAW. RAW would be an unaltered image (lacking the adjustments made by the camera's firmware and image processor) with potentially more data and less artifacts.

NOTE: There is a lesser freeware version of the software named 'Photomatix Basic 1.2' You can do something similar manually, but it is very tedious. I have tried it before and I would prefer the plugin.
http://www.hdrsoft.com/download.html

[Castillonis]

I don't have time at the moment, but I will adjust the HDR image of the 3720 and John Ross and Alexan to show a better image.

[Castillonis]

I created an HDR (high dynamic range) image using the freeware program which allows me to combine two images together for a greater dynamic range. I did not perform further adjustments in photoshop as I need to calibrate my monitor better.
1260x703


1600x893
http://aycu06.webshots.com/image/433...8151607_rs.jpg

Comprised of images
400x300
1/500 sec, f/8.0, focal 21.0 mm
[img][/img]
400x300
1/200th

[img][/img]

[zilfondel]

wow, that is a very unique picture of portland. I love how you can see the mountains waaaaay northeast of vancouver as if they are close by.

also, the depth captured on the OHSU building is incredible. Doesn't look like your typical HDR image, thats for sure...

[360Rich]

Thought this was a cool picture of the tram and city at night during last nights lunar eclipse, from today's Oregonian. -Rich



The moon is seen in partial eclipse before its total eclipse in a view looking east over the Ross Island Bridge and the OHSU Tram.
Randy L. Rasmussen / The Oregonian

[Dougall5505]

some cool ones on flickr by sure to check this guy's other pics out http://flickr.com/photos/dibec/




progress on the alexan and 3720's low-rise by http://flickr.com/photos/tshieldspdx/

[Okstate]

^ that 1st shot is incredible

[Sekkle]

^ Agreed. Awesome pic. Here's my very non-incredible photo from the same vantage point yesterday (3/8).

[zilfondel]

I'm guessing Fog + morning light + HDR and maybe + camera...

[Castillonis]

It looks like some adjustments in photoshop. Color via adjustment->color or white balance via adjustments->levels. Masks as well.

Not a HDR because very little detail in shadows and not much midtone unless no tone compression. Exposure mostly for sky.

[Sekkle]

A few construction photos I took today (3/12) around lunchtime...

[Dougall5505]

oooh 3720

[mudshark]

Yup, 3720 is starting to look like the renders we saw months ago, especially from the angle in the first pic you just posted ForAteOh.

Long time folks, hope spring is springing well with you all.

[Sioux612]

I went down to SoWa today and pictures really don't do the buildings justice. The glass on the Alexan is awesome.

However, is anyone else concerned that SoWa will look like a wall of 325' buildings? The 22 story buildings will provide contrast to the SoWa skyline but I really think down the line the height restriction of 325' needs to be raised.