Waterfall in HDR

[absolute beginner]

I know some of you don't like HDR but what do you think the merits of these shots are?

I have tried to tone them down so they appear more real but have I succeeded?

Thanks

[SmuckerS2]

the blue cast seems overpowering.

nice scenery.

[Anke]

Hmmm, bit of a white balance issue or something here. These colours just don't look natural.

[canuck_newbie]

I agree - the blue seems a little strong.

Also, the falls seem a little "hard". Personally, I'm a fan of falls shots taken with speeds in the 0.5-1 second range, helps make the water look softer.

[arg245]

They still look over-saturated. Did you use Photomatix by any chance? I've found that Photomatix sometimes doesn't allow me to remove a lot of the saturation. I've needed to import the image into Photoshop to finish it off and really tone down some of the colors to make them look more realistic.

There are those that like that "painted" and oversturated look you can get from HDR, but I find I prefer to use HDR conversion for its intended use - to extend the dynamic range of an image. Too much saturation just makes it look too unreal for my taste. Still, some look very good even with the saturation left as is. Your second image is a good example - I like it.

Thanks for sharing.

[absolute beginner]

Thank you for your comments. Canuck unfortunately I cannot access my settings because these were 3 merged shots. They would have been taken at a faster speed than you suggest though. I will have to try and slow it down. I did not have my tripod with me for these so it would have been a little difficult.