A Photowalk - in HDR

eoren1

Took part in the Scott Kelby Photowalk this Saturday and had signed up for one led by an avid HDR photographer (Brian Matiash - link). Decided that I would shoot with the Canon 50D and 10-22 lens and concentrate on HDR shots. Some of the early shots presented a real challenge as there was significant haze present.

All shots were taken in manual and with 13-22 photos (at 1/3 step increments). Taken into Photomatix and then back into LR 3 for curves, other adjustments and sharpening.

Greatly appreciate any comments/critiques. I'm hoping these don't appear too 'cooked'.:dunno
E

1. On Break

This one was actually a single exposure processed from -2 to +2 by 0.5 increments in LR then taken into Photomatix and back to LR.

2. Back Alley


3. Sun star at Fan Pier


4. Shadow Play - taken under hazy conditions


5. On the Pier


6. On the Pier (2)


7. Fan Pier at Dusk


8. and the non-HDR version a few minutes later

ront

I think that these look GREAT eoren1!! The first one is approaching overcooked for me, but not quite there. I think that you did a very good job!! #7 is beautiful!!

Ron

eoren1

Thanks a lot for the comments Ron.

I must confess to being a bit disappointed with 90 views and only 1 comment though. I'm wondering if HDR shots belong here or in the 'other cool shots' forum.

E

cab.in.boston

eoren1 wrote: »

Thanks a lot for the comments Ron.

I must confess to being a bit disappointed with 90 views and only 1 comment though. I'm wondering if HDR shots belong here or in the 'other cool shots' forum.

E

I think you did a great job, especially given the conditions we had. 7 is really nice, and 3 is well done also. I kept wondering if you were going to fall in the harbor when you were down on that dock.

I have a set of that same corner from the back alley, but I've not had much time to process them yet. Plus, I really don't know what I'm doing with HDR. I'm not overly thrilled with what I brought home on the CF card, but I had a great time on the walk.

eoren1

I didn't realize there was a fellow dgrinner in the group! And I had my smugmug strap and everything!!
Good shooting with you cab. Can't wait to see what you got.
E

cab.in.boston

eoren1 wrote: »

I didn't realize there was a fellow dgrinner in the group! And I had my smugmug strap and everything!!
Good shooting with you cab. Can't wait to see what you got.
E

I actually noticed your strap, but for whatever reason didn't ask if you were a dgrinner.

As I mentioned here, I just haven't had much time yet to process, plus I'm still just trying to figure out what to do with the HDR stuff. I'll probably toss up some of the individual shots by themselves, b/c I really don't know when I'll have time to spiff them up.

Did you see this HDR group shot yet?

eoren1

Hey Cab,
For what it's worth, here is what I do (after learning a thing or two from Brian and Phil):

In Photomatix (download the trial version if you don't have it; Brian's blog has discount codes)
Hit default then push strength to 100%
Color saturation hovers around 50-60
Then go to Smoothing. Try the 5 buttons but I usually turn off 'light mode' and use the slider
Then play with luminosity and microcontrast - I usually don't go higher that +/- 2 on either
White point usually stays in place
Black usually up to 0.003 or so
Play with microsmoothing from 0-10

Then I bring it back to LR and add a curve (it starts as 'linear' and I change it to medium). Add some brightness if needed; definately contrast. A bit of clarity and possibly blacks again to take away from the flatness of the image. Then it's time for sharpening and noise reduction.

One other key point, before exporting from LR, I will zero out the sharpness, add lens correction and make sure that the WB is exactly the same for all shots.

Hope that helps!
E

cab.in.boston

Thanks. I'll give that a try. It's nice to have a roadmap instead of just blindly moving sliders, which is essentially what I've been doing.

I have the trial version of Photomatix. I also have PS CS5, which from what I've heard, does a fair job at HDR, or at least better than previous versions did. I think I'll have to convince myself that I really "need" the full version of Photomatix before I try to convince my wife that I need to spend more money. With the D300 a couple months back and the tripod just last week, I think her tolerance might be waning.

glengoffin

These are really terrific! I've not been an HDR fan to-date ... but it is obviously (from your images) a technique to use where appropriate for some real punch. You outline your process above but are these based on several exposures or just one exposure? Thanks for sharing these.

glengoffin

oops ... sorry. Should've read the first post better. So you used 13 - 22 total images to make each of these!?!

Art Scott

Well done.

eoren1

Thanks Glen and, yah, at least 9 to up to 22!!!
The walk was led by a guy who is really into HDR and was talking about a gadget called the Promote that lets you take countless exposures at any EV interval. I went the cheap way with manual exposure locked at f/8-22 and shutter speeds beginning at the limit of one end of the histogram and finishing at the other. I have never shot this way before and I'm realizing I REALLY need a new, solid tripod if I plan to do this more. The results - especially the rays - come from the number of shots taken. A simple +/- 1 or 2 bracket would not have given the same amount of data for Photomatix to work with.
E

glengoffin

Thanks, Eoren. For that many exposures, I would think you'd need to bolt your camera to a block of concrete!! What is most illuminating for me, personally, being a wedding photog is the first image. You've inspired me to try that technique on some of my wedding shots. Thanks again.

hawkeye978

Nice set, E. Good to see you back here.

I really like #1. It has an edgy look without being cooked at all.

And the last two are interesting. Very similar look except for the color in the sky with the HDR version.

Funny, I was over there on Sunday shooting. I didn't get quite as far down Fan Pier as you did, though.

Awais Yaqub

wow 1st and 7th are my favorites!

eoren1

Thank you again
Tom - it has been a while! been busy with buying our first house and then gutting half of it!! Now that we're settled, I should be able to spend some more time shooting landscapes again. I feel like I have the HDR bug now and want to visit areas in town to explore them with this new tool
Awais - thanks for the 'wow' - means a lot coming from you
And Glen - I should have bolted the camera to something like concrete...the shadow play one has movement artifacts as I was on a pretty light walkway that moved whenever someone passed by...
Also, don't forget to try converting to black and white if you plan to use this with people in it. It can make for some great shots.
E

cab.in.boston

So here's an attempt at a treatment of that same corner you have in #2. Trial version of Photomatix, so it's watermarked.

eoren1

Nice job Cab! Fun...ain't it??

cab.in.boston

eoren1 wrote: »

Nice job Cab! Fun...ain't it??

Thanks. Yeah, I have (had?) a preconception of HDR as over-saturated and fake-looking. Maybe it's worth pursuing a little bit.

This corner struck me, as that crumpled up red thing is either a blanket or sleeping bag, so obviously this is or has been someone's home. I would guess that exhaust vent makes it warm during the winter.

eoren1

That was a great spot. Saw an image on the flickr group with a tighter crop of the blanket and the 'better luck next time' tag which worked really well...
Don't forget to submit your best shot up there
E

redleash

Hi Eoren-

Yes, good to see you back here. I like #4 a lot--the shadows are really nice, especially with the double sun star mixed in. I like the water also. What Ap and Shutter Speed did you shoot this one with? How many exposures went into the HDR? #7 is a winner for sure--great colors and reflections.

Thanks for the step-by-step too. I do some HDR (Photomatix) also but am still in the very amateur stage. Always looking for a good workflow. I tried yours and it works nicely. Good results without being "cooked."

Cheers,
Lauren

Nikonic1

#1 is absolutely awesome IMO. Very cool set.

dlplumer

E, this is some of your best work imo. #1 and #8 are my personal favorites

kdog

E, good stuff.

I like 1, 2, and 7 the best.

80weeks

Great photos, number 3 is my fav!

BradfordBenn

Very cool shots. I gotta stop reading DGrin and get back to processing my pics from the PhotoWalk!

Hollanfeng

I like the #7 the most. Great job !

canon400d

Hollanfeng wrote: »

I like the #7 the most. Great job !

An excellent set of shots. I use a Canon 40D with a 10-22 lens and I also use Photomatix. I am not quite clear what you mean when you say 13-22. How many exposures did you take?
Regards
Bob

eoren1

Thanks again everyone!
As for exposures, I would change to manual mode and set it at f/8-16. Then literally dial from -2 to +2 on the meter in 1/3 EV increments. This was my first try at using more than 3 exposures for HDR and I'm currently trying to find the sweet spot - I think it might be using 1/2 EV increments.
E

eoren1

Won our photowalk!
Just found out that shot #1 got 1st place for the 2010 Photo Walk - Boston!

DonRicklin

eoren1 wrote: »

Just found out that shot #1 got 1st place for the 2010 Photo Walk - Boston!

Congratulations!

ivar

Don