Continued Attempts at HDR

Continued Attempts at HDR · 08:26 PM

I'm going to upload quite a few photos to this thread as I finish processing my recent attempts at HDR photography.

Some of these seem to turn out great, while others look terrible. Sometimes I go for maximum post-processed look, and sometimes I don't want it to look like it's been 'faked' at all.

Some you might like, and some I'm sure you will loathe, but these are a few of my favorites, and I figured I'd post them up for critique.

Any tips are MOST appreciated!

Sunset, February 11th, 2009

(I pushed the contrast HEAVILY on this one- as I'm sure you can tell- and I do like the effect, though I'd rather it be a little less pronounced right at the sun, and still heavy everywhere else... that kind of thing is beyond my post-processing skills, however, at this point in time!)

Revisited Image From Above

(This is the same image posted above, but I pushed it a bit differently and squeezed out FAR more color! I know the sun itself is even more burned in this one, but I like it more because of the richer colors)

Revisited Again- the Final Try

(I think this might be my favorite of these three images... I'm not sure. I'm moving on to other scenes though before this drives me insane! I really like the balance between sky and ground in this image, and the rich blues on the sky go nicely with the lovely greens on the ground. I think this one is a bit of a happy medium between the other two. Third time's the charm right?)

Same Sunset, Wider-Angle

(Same heavy contrast push, but a much more subdued feel to this image because the sun itself is not so strong. This one is more realistic, though still far from BEING realistic haha! I forgot to add- I'm not sure why, but when I took these shots I noticed the contrail emerging from the left side of the frame, and for some reason I fell in love with it- I absolutely LOVE the way it looks in this image!)

JMR · 02-20-2009, 08:43 PM

Personally, I see nothing wrong with this image, but it certainly is not realistic. It is more interpretive.

JMR

**Hannican** · 02-20-2009, 08:47 PM

Thanks JMR! I'm trying to do something different for a change, rather than copy what my eye physically sees... these are more along the lines of what I'd PREFER to see!

skinja · 02-20-2009, 08:56 PM

I like both both. but what would they look like if you went 1/3 stop less in both directions?

John

roentarre · 02-20-2009, 08:58 PM

Very good colours in deed! Great photography

**Hannican** · 02-20-2009, 09:31 PM

Hi John- Is there an easy way for me to set that up in Photomatix, or Photoshop? I'm pretty sure I've got my camera settings at 1/2 stops for EV Compensation... but I definitely took a few rounds of each of these scenes (all are three images, some are at 1 step between, some 1.5 steps between, and some 2 steps between frames). I'll dig through the others to try and find one that doesn't have so much compensation- can I figure that out manually somehow, perhaps by looking at the Aperture values in Photoshop? Is there an easier way?

Roentarre- Thank you for the kind words! I just love color and I am so amazed that it's so easy to saturate with all of these digital enhancements and HDR techniques. This is really keeping me interested in Photography and especially in trying new things that I hadn't even considered possible before! I'm literally looking at the world a bit differently now that I know what my camera is capable of capturing!

gawan · 02-21-2009, 09:43 AM

Very dramatic mood in both photos! The bright area in the first seems a bit burned to me?

skinja · 02-21-2009, 11:01 AM

I really haven't done much HDR, but I assume you combined between 3 to 5 shots to get the final result. If you edit the two photos at either end of the set prior to the merge, I would think that would do the trick.

And then again I could be completely off base, I know there are some members that do a fair amount of HDR.

Hopefully one of them will step in and set us both straight.

I need to play with more HDR.

John

mithrandir · 02-21-2009, 06:16 PM

I liked the 4th variation the most, but that is my personal taste and not a criticism. By the way, was that a hillside or something? The sloping horizon distracted from the pictures as I viewed them.

**Hannican** · 02-21-2009, 09:17 PM

I've been playing with them a bit more today to try and tone things down... some of the results I like, and some I don't haha. I wish it were easier for me to make up my mind abou this sort of thing lol!

Mithrandir- thanks for your comment! I like the fourth one too. And yeah, I was shooting on a hillside even more sloped than it appears in the images. I like the slope personally, but I definitely understand your point.

Hannican
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02-20-2009, 08:43 PM	#2
JMR Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 3,332	Personally, I see nothing wrong with this image, but it certainly is not realistic. It is more interpretive. JMR

02-20-2009, 08:47 PM	#3
Hannican Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Irvine, CA Photos: Gallery Posts: 485 Original Poster	Thanks JMR! I'm trying to do something different for a change, rather than copy what my eye physically sees... these are more along the lines of what I'd PREFER to see!

02-20-2009, 08:56 PM	#4
skinja Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Denver, Co Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 968	I like both both. but what would they look like if you went 1/3 stop less in both directions? John

02-20-2009, 08:58 PM	#5
roentarre Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 11,783	Very good colours in deed! Great photography

02-20-2009, 09:31 PM	#6
Hannican Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Irvine, CA Photos: Gallery Posts: 485 Original Poster	Hi John- Is there an easy way for me to set that up in Photomatix, or Photoshop? I'm pretty sure I've got my camera settings at 1/2 stops for EV Compensation... but I definitely took a few rounds of each of these scenes (all are three images, some are at 1 step between, some 1.5 steps between, and some 2 steps between frames). I'll dig through the others to try and find one that doesn't have so much compensation- can I figure that out manually somehow, perhaps by looking at the Aperture values in Photoshop? Is there an easier way? Roentarre- Thank you for the kind words! I just love color and I am so amazed that it's so easy to saturate with all of these digital enhancements and HDR techniques. This is really keeping me interested in Photography and especially in trying new things that I hadn't even considered possible before! I'm literally looking at the world a bit differently now that I know what my camera is capable of capturing!

02-21-2009, 09:43 AM	#7
gawan Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Helsinki Photos: Gallery Posts: 5,400	Very dramatic mood in both photos! The bright area in the first seems a bit burned to me?

02-21-2009, 11:01 AM	#8
skinja Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Denver, Co Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 968	I really haven't done much HDR, but I assume you combined between 3 to 5 shots to get the final result. If you edit the two photos at either end of the set prior to the merge, I would think that would do the trick. And then again I could be completely off base, I know there are some members that do a fair amount of HDR. Hopefully one of them will step in and set us both straight. I need to play with more HDR. John

02-21-2009, 06:16 PM	#9
mithrandir Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Maryland Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,895	I liked the 4th variation the most, but that is my personal taste and not a criticism. By the way, was that a hillside or something? The sloping horizon distracted from the pictures as I viewed them.

02-21-2009, 09:17 PM	#10
Hannican Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Irvine, CA Photos: Gallery Posts: 485 Original Poster	I've been playing with them a bit more today to try and tone things down... some of the results I like, and some I don't haha. I wish it were easier for me to make up my mind abou this sort of thing lol! Mithrandir- thanks for your comment! I like the fourth one too. And yeah, I was shooting on a hillside even more sloped than it appears in the images. I like the slope personally, but I definitely understand your point.