American Queen - Largest Riverboat

And maybe jinxed, at least for me, every time it stops here, it's either cloudy or raining. Both these are 5 shot HDR's from the RAW files.

Byte size: ZERO | Content warning: NOT AN IMAGE

Byte size: ZERO | Content warning: NOT AN IMAGE

I think the second picture is a lot nicer than the first.

I like how the colours are arranged in the photo. The green "goo" is pretty awesome too.

The hot rock face in the centre/lower area is distracting, but other than that it's great.

Thanks MrGreen. I saw the hot rock, but nothing I did could get rid of it and it only appeared after the tone mapping process. I didn't try in CS3, as I don't know enough to do it.

Very nice!

Lots of ways to do it. A layer mask on the original layer over the final TM one would my choice.
Simplest way is just clone another rock over it. I don't think journalistic integrity applies to rocks?

I don't know, rocks are pretty old and deserve our respect.

That's the thing Frank, I don't really know how to do a layer mask. I know the basics maybe, but I don't have the practice to know ahead of time what it's going to do, or really what to look for in the pic that tells me I need one. I really need to read the Bible on this. Been too busy.

2 great shots. I like the second for its depth and the first for its comp.

Thanks Henry. This is the second time I have gotten shots of the Queen. I've seen it before, but it was raining last time. This year it is making a steady run from St. Louis to Minneapolis every couple weeks, and La Crosse is one of the regular stops. The thing is really huge too, 222 staterooms and carries 437 passengers and 161 crew. The biggest living riverboat on the waters right now. It's quite a sight.

The American is a pretty vessel, but it is not a REAL Steamboat. Instead, she just looks like one.

Nope, she really does have steam engines, both actually.

"Featuring six decks and measuring 418-feet in length, American Queen is the world’s largest river cruise ship, powered by a state-of-the-art propulsion system that combines authentic steam engines and a 45-ton paddlewheel with modern diesel-electric Z-drives."

http://www.majesticame​ricaline.com/Products/​Ship.aspx?ID=1

"American Queen is the largest steamboat ever built. The ship was built in 1995 and is a six-deck recreation of a classic Mississippi riverboat, owned by Majestic America Line. Although the American Queen's paddlewheel is indeed powered by a genuine steam plant, her primary propulsion comes from a set of diesel propellers, known as Z-drives, on either side of the sternwheel. It has 222 state rooms for a capacity of 436 guests and a crew of 160. It is 418 feet (127 m) long and 89 feet (27 m) wide."

http://en.wikipedia.or​g/wiki/American_Queen

Using an Adjustment Layer which has a mask built in - Post #9; PS Elements in Post # 14:
Airport runway shoot

Using a Layer Mask to hide part of an image. Advantage is that the mask is reversible, where the effect of an eraser is not.
Also, you can use this with a different exposure of the same image to add texture to blown highlights.
Need to remove a background from something?

Number 2 is the best shot, even with the hot rocks. That is an awesome steam boat, thanks for posting the additional info about it.

Thanks Canonguy. I didn't know til the last minute that it was in town. It also left a few hours after I took these. I have been trying to find a time schedule that is reliable, so that I can plan to be there when it is either docking or leaving. Cause either way, it has to make a turn in the channel and I'd love to get a sequence of a 418 foot boat doing a turn in the channel of the Mississippi. Or, for that matter, just out in the channel itself.

Frank, I will have to practice that. I really want to learn masking. In Flash, I have it down very well, but for some reason, the knowledge doesn't carry over to CS3. Thanks for the links.

hey i miss this post. very nice. you are using that lense more than i did that for sure. like the second one best. and is that water that clear down there.

Bill

Thanks Bill. Except for the duckweed, the river is as polluted as ever. I can't believe there are actually several swimming beaches right here in town. You would never get me in that water.

I do use this lens a lot, both on the 40D and the 1D. I am already planning for the 50D shortly after it comes out. I really want to see some examples before I buy it though.

canonloader wrote in post #6270669
Nope, she really does have steam engines, both actually.

"American Queen is the largest steamboat ever built. The ship was built in 1995 and is a six-deck recreation of a classic Mississippi riverboat, owned by Majestic America Line. Although the American Queen's paddlewheel is indeed powered by a genuine steam plant, her primary propulsion comes from a set of diesel propellers, known as Z-drives, on either side of the sternwheel. It has 222 state rooms for a capacity of 436 guests and a crew of 160. It is 418 feet (127 m) long and 89 feet (27 m) wide."

http://en.wikipedia.or​g/wiki/American_Queen

Yes, I will concur, that they do say she is a steamboat, but she does not use steam as her primary propulsion, like the Delta Queen & Belle of Louisville do. Neither of them have propellers to push them, they only have paddlewheels.. I should have clarified my statement better. Nonetheless, I agree the 2nd shot is the better of the two shots.