Tunnel View, Yosemite (HDR)

shniks

Hey all,


Here is an HDR of tunnel view from a single RAW file. Originally I tried a color HDR using Photomatix, but that did not seem to look good at all. Hence I converted the resultant HDR into B&W using Nik Software's Silver FX and like the results better. Oh well! Live and learn!!!






Cheers,

Shane422

Try the tut at stuckincustoms.com
Try looking up the tutorial at www.stuckincustoms.com. That same photographer just was interviewed on the podcast at www.prophotographyshow.com and I thought he gave a lot of great tips for HDR. Just an FYI, one of his photos was he first HDR inducted into teh Smithsonian.

shniks

Shane422 wrote:

Try looking up the tutorial at www.stuckincustoms.com. That same photographer just was interviewed on the podcast at www.prophotographyshow.com and I thought he gave a lot of great tips for HDR. Just an FYI, one of his photos was he first HDR inducted into teh Smithsonian.

Thanks for that link Shane- I have gone through that earlier.

This image just did not work in HDR- so I converted it into B&W using Nik Silver FX (the grain in the photo is intentional). I like it much better this way. I have noticed that HDR from a single RAW file, does not turn out to be as one would envision.


Cheers,

CWSkopec

Nikhil,
while I was looking at this shot, I saw the link to your web site in your sig and realized I haven't taken a look in a while (all around great work, by the way!) and I think I caught a glimpse of the HDR version of this shot in your opening slide show. I like the moodiness of this rendering of the shot, but if I saw it right, there's a lot more detail to the shot than you've got in this version. Maybe that was a result of the HDR process but I think this version could benefit from some of that detail.
You definitely had much better skies than I did when I was there last September... not a cloud in the sky then...
Anyway, I like the shot, it just leaves me wanting to see more detail, if only just a little!

shniks

CWSkopec wrote:

Nikhil,
while I was looking at this shot, I saw the link to your web site in your sig and realized I haven't taken a look in a while (all around great work, by the way!) and I think I caught a glimpse of the HDR version of this shot in your opening slide show. I like the moodiness of this rendering of the shot, but if I saw it right, there's a lot more detail to the shot than you've got in this version. Maybe that was a result of the HDR process but I think this version could benefit from some of that detail.
You definitely had much better skies than I did when I was there last September... not a cloud in the sky then...
Anyway, I like the shot, it just leaves me wanting to see more detail, if only just a little!

Hey Chris- thanks for the feedback. You know, this photo has me so frustrated. :bash . If it's not the HDR then it's the B&W... I guess I just need to spend some quality time and do the processing step by step!


On another note, I am off to Yosemite in the third week of May for 7 nights- wooohooooo :ivar :ivar :ivar . My friends, who offered to come with me, will rue the day they said yes- I am gonna make 'em hike to half dome, upper yosemite falls, panorama trail....


May can't come fast enough!!!



Cheers,

CWSkopec

shniks wrote:

Hey Chris- thanks for the feedback. You know, this photo has me so frustrated. :bash . If it's not the HDR then it's the B&W... I guess I just need to spend some quality time and do the processing step by step!


On another note, I am off to Yosemite in the third week of May for 7 nights- wooohooooo :ivar :ivar :ivar . My friends, who offered to come with me, will rue the day they said yes- I am gonna make 'em hike to half dome, upper yosemite falls, panorama trail....


May can't come fast enough!!!



Cheers,

I know how you feel... it took me nearly 6 months to process my Yosemite shots! I had a lot of other stuff going on during that time, but mostly I just couldn't do the park justice and got frustrated trying! I finally settled on a handful I liked, but I can't wait to go back and try again!

You know what that means right? I'm a little resentful of your upcoming trip!! But can't wait to see the results!

shniks

Man- Last year when I had gone there, I did not realize how difficult it is to secure a camping site in Upper/ Lower Pines, so ended up staying in Wawona (which is an hour's drive from the valley)- that was really frustrating to drive back and forth (and not being able to take an impromptu walk in the valley). Then I found out that the campground reservations open 5 months in advance on the 15th of the month at 7 AM PST- so for a May 23 reservation, I had to be online at 7 AM PST on Jan 15th. I logged on and at precisely 7 AM managed to book the campsite I wanted (THE best tent campsite- woooohoooo). You won't believe this Chris, but within 5 minutes, ALL campsites in ALL campground were booked for an entire month (May 15 though June 14th). Now THAT is a popular park.





Cheers,

Candid Arts

shniks wrote:

Thanks for that link Shane- I have gone through that earlier.

This image just did not work in HDR- so I converted it into B&W using Nik Silver FX (the grain in the photo is intentional). I like it much better this way. I have noticed that HDR from a single RAW file, does not turn out to be as one would envision.


Cheers,

But entirely do-able with GREAT results. I have no idea how, but check out this thread and this thread and this thread and this thread. Not all of them are single RAW files I don't think, but a lot of them are.

shniks

Candid Arts wrote:

But entirely do-able with GREAT results. I have no idea how, but check out this thread and this thread and this thread and this thread. Not all of them are single RAW files I don't think, but a lot of them are.

Hi there- I agree it's do-able (I personally have done it and gotten good results), but it is not the same as shooting different exposures. There is just not enough data in a single RAW file to give the same results as that obtained from different exposure files.


Thx for the links...



Cheers,

CWSkopec

shniks wrote:

Man- Last year when I had gone there, I did not realize how difficult it is to secure a camping site in Upper/ Lower Pines, so ended up staying in Wawona (which is an hour's drive from the valley)- that was really frustrating to drive back and forth (and not being able to take an impromptu walk in the valley). Then I found out that the campground reservations open 5 months in advance on the 15th of the month at 7 AM PST- so for a May 23 reservation, I had to be online at 7 AM PST on Jan 15th. I logged on and at precisely 7 AM managed to book the campsite I wanted (THE best tent campsite- woooohoooo). You won't believe this Chris, but within 5 minutes, ALL campsites in ALL campground were booked for an entire month (May 15 though June 14th). Now THAT is a popular park.


Cheers,

I had to "settle" for Wawona too!
It was a little annoying to not be able to just walk into the valley, but I kind of enjoyed that spot... plus it was the absolute LAST reservable camping spot available in the entire park!! Next time I want to go, I'll have to make sure to plan it way in advance so I can reserve like you did... How have you managed to make it through these last 5+ months? I would be going crazy with anticipation!!

kdog

I like the composition, Nikhil! The B&W treatment was a good idea, although the picture came out with almost too much contrast. :wow

Of course, take that with a grain of salt, coming from the "artistically challenged" person.

Cheers,
-joel

shniks

kdog wrote:

I like the composition, Nikhil! The B&W treatment was a good idea, although the picture came out with almost too much contrast. :wow

Of course, take that with a grain of salt, coming from the "artistically challenged" person.

Cheers,
-joel

Yeah Joel- the contrast is WAAAAYYY over the top. I will amend this over the weekend!

You and "artistically challenged"? Umm are you pulling my leg? Yeah right!!! The last thing you are is 'artistically challenged'!


Cheers,

Tee Why

Like the concept but the high levels of contrast seems to have diminished the tonal range of the shot. I'm also seeing a bit of noise in the clouds as well in the shot.

shniks

Tee Why wrote:

Like the concept but the high levels of contrast seems to have diminished the tonal range of the shot. I'm also seeing a bit of noise in the clouds as well in the shot.

I need to work on the contrast as I am not satisfied with how it turned out. Yes there is noise due to using a single RAW file for the HDR. I haven't run this through Neat Image or any other noise reduction software as yet. One of my peeves about using a single RAW file.

Thx for the feedback.


Cheers,