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Critique my first HDR

Dave CleeDave Clee Registered Users Posts: 536 Major grins
edited November 29, 2007 in Other Cool Shots
Well as the title says this is my first jump into HDR..Was out early this morning and took a few exposures of this bridge..

Feel free to say the good bad and the ugly...

224994041-XL.jpg
Still searching for the light...

http://www.daveclee.com

Nikon D3 and a bunch of nikkor gear
that has added up over the years :wink

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    devbobodevbobo Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 4,339 SmugMug Employee
    edited November 24, 2007
    Dave,

    This hdr looks really good to me thumb.gif

    It doesn't have the fake haloed effect that you see on the majority of hdrs you see. I would be interested in seeing a single exposure to see how much additional dynamic range that you achieved.

    I really love the bold red against the muted blue hues, it really works for me.

    Nice work.

    David
    David Parry
    SmugMug API Developer
    My Photos
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    Dave CleeDave Clee Registered Users Posts: 536 Major grins
    edited November 24, 2007
    Thanks man, I have to say I was pretty happy with it when I seen the result..Honestly I didnt even know what an HDR was until I saw your coastal shot and the fact that you used Photomatrix to process it..That started me reading up on HDR and what it can do in these kind of shots..

    So pretty much just followed along, banged off a few exposures and let PM do its thing..

    Stay tuned and I will link up an exposure for you...

    Cheers

    Dave
    devbobo wrote:
    Dave,

    This hdr looks really good to me thumb.gif

    It doesn't have the fake haloed effect that you see on the majority of hdrs you see. I would be interested in seeing a single exposure to see how much additional dynamic range that you achieved.

    I really love the bold red against the muted blue hues, it really works for me.

    Nice work.

    David
    Still searching for the light...

    http://www.daveclee.com

    Nikon D3 and a bunch of nikkor gear
    that has added up over the years :wink
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    Dave CleeDave Clee Registered Users Posts: 536 Major grins
    edited November 24, 2007
    Here you go man, I used 3 exposures total for the final shot, as I wasnt sure how many to take...But I'll definitely be playing around more with this technique in the near future..Now obviously there was also some PS work done on the final image..saturation etc..I noticed that photomatrix had those options but I decided to use PS instead on the final tone mapped image

    225042886-XL.jpg
    Still searching for the light...

    http://www.daveclee.com

    Nikon D3 and a bunch of nikkor gear
    that has added up over the years :wink
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    MoniMoni Registered Users Posts: 245 Major grins
    edited November 24, 2007
    I love the icy atmosphere that you got in the final compilation. The foggyness doesn't show thru enough in the original you posted.
    The blue is a really good contrast with the red pop of the bridge.
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    SkippySkippy Registered Users Posts: 12,075 Major grins
    edited November 25, 2007
    Dave Clee wrote:
    Well as the title says this is my first jump into HDR..Was out early this morning and took a few exposures of this bridge..

    Feel free to say the good bad and the ugly...

    Beautiful Dave clap.gif as Devbobo said, it does not look fake at all.

    Lovely scene, the colours look great.
    Added some nice light the trees on the shore on the left hand side too.

    You should be be very pleased with this shot Dave clap.gif :ivar
    ... Skippy :D
    .
    .
    Skippy (Australia) - Moderator of "HOLY MACRO" and "OTHER COOL SHOTS"

    ALBUM http://ozzieskip.smugmug.com/

    :skippy Everyone has the right to be stupid, but some people just abuse the privilege :dgrin
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    Dave CleeDave Clee Registered Users Posts: 536 Major grins
    edited November 25, 2007
    Thanks man, its pretty clear to me now the potential of HDR. This is one of my favourite locations but I have always struggled to get the right exposure b/c of the lighting there.

    I'll post up a few others from yesterday morning when I get them done.

    Cheers

    Dave
    Skippy wrote:
    Beautiful Dave clap.gif as Devbobo said, it does not look fake at all.

    Lovely scene, the colours look great.
    Added some nice light the trees on the shore on the left hand side too.

    You should be be very pleased with this shot Dave clap.gif :ivar
    ... Skippy :D
    .
    Still searching for the light...

    http://www.daveclee.com

    Nikon D3 and a bunch of nikkor gear
    that has added up over the years :wink
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    Chrissiebeez_NLChrissiebeez_NL Registered Users Posts: 1,295 Major grins
    edited November 25, 2007
    looks very good! thumb.gif
    Visit my website at christopherroos.smugmug.com
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    devbobodevbobo Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 4,339 SmugMug Employee
    edited November 25, 2007
    Dave,

    Looking at this again, the sand in the foreground over the bridge reflection is a bit distracting to me. It catches my eye instead of the bridge leading me into the photo. That area appears substantially brighter and more defined than the rocks under the water to left.

    I would probably apply curves locally to that area to make it a bit darker. thumb.gif

    Apart from that I totally love it, a wall hanger for sure.

    Cheers,

    David
    David Parry
    SmugMug API Developer
    My Photos
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    schmooschmoo Registered Users Posts: 8,468 Major grins
    edited November 25, 2007
    Dave, what a wonderful use of HDR! Your processed image really does pop and I have to say that I am of the opposite mind re: the sand in the foreground. While devbobo finds it distracting, before I scrolled down and saw his comment I was going to say that that's my favorite part of the image. The bridge is bright and beautiful and by color alone demands our attention but I love when water has both clear and reflective properties in the same shot. I think being able to see down through the water to get a glimpse of the warm yellow sand makes the scene look even colder, in a way.

    Seeing down to that sand was to me like looking through a block of ice. Shivers!

    Just goes to show that there's no accounting for (my) taste. lol3.gif

    Anyway, clap.gif!
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    W.W. WebsterW.W. Webster Registered Users Posts: 3,204 Major grins
    edited November 29, 2007
    Dave Clee wrote:
    Feel free to say the good bad and the ugly...
    Can't fault it! thumb.gif
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