HDR gets old hobbyist active again

mtully

The subject of HDR seems to be polarizing here. To some an irrititating gimmick and to others a valuable tool.

I was asking friend and neighbor Boblu262 about the techniques he used to get such incredible range in his images. He told me about Photomatix Pro. I tried it and was amazed. For me this is the answer to every heartache I had as a kid that followed the mailman bringing my little yellow boxes.

Now I am like that kid again. Energized to grab the camera and tripod and head out the door to chase images. It may be irritating and a gimmick, but I'm a simple minded guy with a Walmart camera who couldn't be having more fun.

I submit for your C & C the following images from the past few months.

1. View from J.T. Farnham's, Essex, Massachusetts



2. Plum Cove, Gloucester, Massachusetts



3. Spicket Falls, Methuen, Massachusetts



4. Route 16 heading west towards Kingsbury Plantation, Maine



5. House on West Road, Abbot, Maine



6. Dawn at Piper Pond, Abbot, Maine



7. Bear Brook State Park, Allenstown, New Hampshire



8. Bear Brook State Park, Allenstown, New Hampshire

DonRicklin

I think, for the most part by my tastes, these are excellent HDRs. Not overblown, Kinkaid-ish (except 7 & 8, maybe a little) images.

Extending the range! Not moving towards what one might see rendered on black velvet!

Nice series, overall!
Don

Marcy

these are very well done - a good example of how to use HDR -

gecko0

+1 on tastefully done HDRs...great work.

Ridgetop

The waterfall. . .wow! Very nice. The last couple are a little two art like for my taste but still rate an awesome just for the look in itself. (Does that make sense? ). I have really fallen for doing HDR myself. I'm shooting scenes that I couldn't bring anything out of before. My goal is normally to bring it as close as possible to looking like no HDR was done, but sometimes it is fun to kick it up a notch and add a lot of saturation for pure wow factor.

dlplumer

I personally can appreciate well done HDRs that are surreal, as well as ones that are natural looking. Having said that, for the most part, yours are very natural looking. A couple begin to go slightly beyond natural, and I like those as well. Good job

Dan

toadlet

I think your images are great, and it really shows with your wonderful sereis, what HDR can achieve. I think it's great you have got back into photography because of the HDR process.

ront

I think that you have done an excellent job with all of these photos!!!! #8 may be a bit overcooked for some people, but I love it!!

Ron

mtully

Thanks everyone for the kind words.

It is hard to resist turning up the volume all the way sometimes. #8 was one I had mixed feelings about from the beginning. Just like the colored Christmas lights I put up this year. Yet this is the one that gets the big reaction from friends and family. Perhaps I should explore the boundaries a bit.

I've been warned not to shoot in Mr. Kinkaid's neighborhood, but maybe I'll a sneak one in every once in a while.

Thwack

Great set of HDRs! Glad to see it got you back out there…you have a great eye. I thought #1 was pretty good until I got to #3…the waterfall and sky colors made me forget all about #1.

#7 is also really nice.

Thanks for sharing those. I'm looking forward to your future posts.

boblu262

Mike, Welcome to DGrin! Really nice HDR work! I particularly like the shot of Spicket Falls! Its a nice little hidden gem in town!

I hope you plan to post some of your excellent Macro work in the macro forum as well!

hawkeye978

I think in general its a nice set of pictures. I do like the last three. #8 is beginning to go over a little as you are seeing the halo around the edges of the sky.

The first few seem a little flat in contrast. One thing I do with my HDR's when trying for the natural look is to go back in Photoshop and play with a curve adjustment to increase the contrast a little and improve the depth. Photomatix does a good job with the tone curve but you can get a touch flat when not pushing the curves.

chrismoore

I think that #8 has some very nice light and is an excellent composition, though the HDR may be a bit overcooked. just IMHO. overall great job

acowan

First, let me say that I'm not a fan at all of HDR, partly because I seem to never be able to pull one off. That said, a majority of your pictures look very good and don't look too "overcooked." #3 and #8 are a little over the top but I actually kind of like #8. One thing that I've always noticed and dislike about HDR is the excessive cloud detail and the haloing around shadow/highlight transition areas.. #4 and #5 have noisy clouds but I think if you reduced the noise in the sky/clouds it would look smoother and better. However, it is a nice set and good examples of well executed HDRs.

Marc Muench

mtully wrote:

I've been warned not to shoot in Mr. Kinkaid's neighborhood, but maybe I'll a sneak one in every once in a while.

Great post on your HDR exploration

I too find most HDR work "Kinkaidian". I believe it is a new tool and along with it new bad work. However, as with "COLOR" when it was new eventually was abused into submission By that, I mean explored and mastered. The exploration is what becomes very exciting, that is with the hope that something exceptional will arise. Your image of the building and waterfall is a perfect example of a great application for the Photomatix HDR look. If you want to make it a bit more realistic just darken up what would be darker, the building and grasses!
I think you already know number 7 and 8 are Kinkaidian which is fun to create.
HDR is the same as any other tool, use it, abuse it until you have discovered its breaking point, and then apply it perfectly:D

xelanil

Nice, I really like the last one. It looks a bit fake but I personally like overblowing colors on everything, it's got an artistic effect to it.

Flowerman

The best set of HDR manipulated photos I have seen - the most natural. You have given this "OLD" guy the push he needed to give HDR a try. I am going to investigate the process further.
Keep posting your work - it is great.





www.photoman74.smugmug.com

Ed's Photography on Flickr

mtully

I am grateful to have stumbled into a community of such kind, encouraging and talented people. The input is appreciated. I am new to the world of digital post-processing, so I'm eager to learn from all of you.

Bob - The Falls are the best kept secret in town. Right in the middle of town - yet no one sees them. Thanks for your daily postings on FB. They get me motivated to go out and shoot.

Hawkeye - You are right about the first three looking flat. They were shot in flat, low light conditions and Photomatix will yield a dead flat curve with such input. At your suggestion I have opened the curve dialog box for the first time and have begun experimenting with adding depth. Thanks.

Marc - Great perspective on exploring with a new tool. I'll be flogging this one for a while. I don't think you are far off at all in drawing an analogy between HDR and color. I think this is a profoundly significant technology. It will be integrated into future generations of cameras.

Chris, Acowan - I agree with you guys that #8 is overly crisp. The haloing in the transition areas is distracting. Photomatix, direct sunshine and a clear blue sky seem to be a tough combo to crack. If there was similar haloing on a picture with a cloudy sky, then it would be simple to use the burn-in tool to wipe the halo away.

In order to smooth the sky up in this one, I had to accept reduced definition in the trees. Was it worth it?

DonRicklin

mtully wrote:

In order to smooth the sky up in this one, I had to accept reduced definition in the trees. Was it worth it?

Most definitely!

clap

Don

jthomas

Nice series and some beautiful images. I have also been experimenting with HDR, but not to the extent that you have.

I am one of those that are turned off by overly processed HDR images. Your first two are what I try to achieve, but I see that some responders find them "flat". To me they look more natural.

Have you tried the "Exposure Fusion" option in Photomatix Pro? That is what I use most of the time. To me, it produces the most realistic results.

My goal is simply to reproduce what my eye perceived (which is usually more than the camera captured).

Keep them coming.

waygard33

I like them all. I enjoy both styles (natural and overcooked) and all in between. Nice job.

BTW - What is this thing called a 'Walmart' camera? I want one!

Wayne G

mtully

jthomas - I'll play around with exposure fusion. Thanks for the tip and compliments.

waygard33 wrote:

BTW - What is this thing called a 'Walmart' camera? I want one!

Wayne G

6 megapixel Nikon D40. They are hanging in blisterpacks at the checkout counter. Next to the chewing gum.

Mike