Charles Walker  

Thomas L. Kelly Covered Bridge by Charles Walker

October 2025 - Thomas L. Kelly Covered Bridge

October 2025 - Charles Walker

Original

About the Image(s)

This is an image of the Thomas L. Kelly covered bridge in Allegany State Park. I have taken several colorful Fall shots of it with my Nikon 750, but this is my one and only IR photo. Many decades ago, Thomas Kelly was a Commissioner of the Park and city judge for Salamanca New York. To render the final image, I first reduced noise and increased sharpness using Topaz, then cropped the bottom, and using Content Aware Fill, replaced the road surface with grass to emphasize the path leading into the bridge. Finally, I applied a sepia filter to warm it and add a nostalgic touch. Note that a bit of sharpness was lost using a telephoto setting, handheld at 1/50 th . I hope it is not too painfully obvious.
camera data: Nikon D7000 (590nm), f/7, 1/50, 112mm, ISO=200.

11 comments posted

Steve Long   Steve Long
A great scene! A good job of replacing the pavement with grass. To my eye, the image could use a bit more contrast.   Posted: 10/01/2025 02:03:32
Charles Walker   Charles Walker
Glad the replaced grass is natural looking. Thanks for the suggestions Steve.   Posted: 10/08/2025 22:26:46
Arik Gorban   Arik Gorban
Hi Charles. Covered bridges are usually overrated as photography subjects, because they are not often in attractive settings and don't show interesting architecture. However, this one is an exception. Your composition is beautiful with the curved path, the tree on the left, and the nice foliage in the background. Some highlights in the background (bottom right) are bright, but it's not unusual for IR image. Beautiful picture.   Posted: 10/01/2025 21:26:15
Charles Walker   Charles Walker
Arik, thank you for the comments on composition. I'm not that deliberate about composition, just go by a gut feel. Thanks for the feedback.   Posted: 10/08/2025 22:29:02
Gary Potts   Gary Potts
Greetings, Charles...keep on making photos of covered bridges when they come out like this one! The composition and toning are excellent in my view. One thing I noticed, or thought I noticed, was a slight (ever so slight) shift of the horizon line to the left. It would be a very easy fix. Also, a touch of additional contrast may well improve the visual impact even further from what you've created. See what you think of my adjusted version.   Posted: 10/02/2025 13:05:12
Comment Image
Charles Walker   Charles Walker
My goodness Gary, I did not notice the tilt until you and the others pointed it out. Will fix that in the master file. Thanks!   Posted: 10/08/2025 22:30:56
Emil Davidzuk   Emil Davidzuk
Charles,

Covered bridges in good condition are getting harder to find. So I am happy that you have one close.

Idyllic scene. The path takes right into your subject.

Regards

Emil   Posted: 10/02/2025 19:25:07
Henry Heerschap   Henry Heerschap
Beautifully composed, Charles. I concur with Gary that it seems to be slightly tilted to the left. His version fixes that though I'm not sure I'd go quite as far with contrast. I like what you did the foreground grass.   Posted: 10/02/2025 21:46:05
Charles Walker   Charles Walker
Henry, I fiddle with contrast usually selecting a level less contrasty than what Gary and others recommend. Darn, the image is a tad tilted. Gotta fix that. Thanks for the comments.   Posted: 10/08/2025 22:34:16
Melanie Hurwitz   Melanie Hurwitz
Hi Chuck, I'm always excited to find covered bridges and then usually disappointing with my results. You did so well here. I do think it needs a little more contrast and straightening. Minor - I like it a lot.   Posted: 10/05/2025 16:40:52
Charles Walker   Charles Walker
Melanie, thanks for refering to me as Chuck. In the bio I should have used "Chuck". Thanks for the positive comments. I've already fixed the tilt, it is subtle until you notice it.   Posted: 10/08/2025 22:42:06

 

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