First HDR

[Fish_Scientist]

First go at an HDR. I was really just messing around in my backyard last summer, but haven't done much HDR since then. What can I do to keep the sky from being too blown out? I conducted no PP on any of the images. AEB was set at +-2.

Thanks for the comments -

Steven
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2695/4314104005_8c256687c2_b.jpg

[lundgrenj]

The sky is blown out.

[danspeer]

The sky is blown out.

He knows, he asked how to avoid that in his post

[PhotosGuy]

What can I do to keep the sky from being too blown out? - AEB was set at +-2. Use a tripod & shoot a wider bracket in manual.

[Fish_Scientist]

Use a tripod & shoot a wider bracket in manual.

The camera was on one of the fence posts, similar to what is in the picture; I didn't own a tripod at the time. I'm shooting with an XS and I don't have the capabilities to shoot wider than +-2. I was shooting in Av mode when I took these shots; can I shoot a wider bracket in manual than Av?

Thanks for the help -

Steven

[dpark]

can I shoot a wider bracket in manual than Av?
Yes, because you can manually set everything. If you're shooting at f/11, and the "correct" exposure is 1/30, you could shoot at 1/30, 1/240, and 1/6, giving you a +/- 3-stop spread. However, this would be hard to do without a tripod, as you'd likely move a decent bit while dialing in the shutter speed. Also, the wider your bracketing gets, the harder it will be to handhold the underexposed shot.

Another option might be to blend separate exposures of the sky and the ground together in post-processing (or use an NGD filter) instead of relying on HDR processing.

[PhotosGuy]

I was shooting in Av mode when I took these shots; Not a good idea. Here's why: Post #47 (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showpost.php?p=5191658&postcount=47)
Click the "post #47" at the top-right of that post if you'd like more info on the subject. Also, the wider your bracketing gets, the harder it will be to handhold the underexposed shot. That should be "overexposed shot." Another option might be to blend separate exposures of the sky and the ground together in post-processing (or use an NGD filter) instead of relying on HDR processing. Lucky for us, there are about a dozen different ways to get the same result in PS. I used an entirely different sky for this one:
Mustang & B-17 + PS (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=91393)

[dpark]

That should be "overexposed shot."
Oops, you're right. I was pretty tired last night. :)