The cafe

[navydoc]

For the fun of it, I did this one a little over the top, or at least more so than I usually do. This is a three exposure hdr and with CS5, it does a good job of removing ghosting caused by movement. I created the hdr image using CS5 and tonemapped using Photomatix.

[MikeFairbanks]

Nice! I can't believe you were able to get the people so clear. How quickly did you take those shots?

I love this look.

[Jill-of-all-Trades]

The guy on the right has a flat looking head... something missing? :)
Amazing detail, and I love how all the variances in the wall show up.

[cutwater]

Very neat, makes in look older, maybe it's the decorations and that old MobilOil can...

For some reason, I can smell eggs, bacon and hash browns :lol:

[navydoc]

Thanks for the comments. I took this shot sitting at the counter of the local airport cafe. The shutter speeds were .5, 1/8 and 1/30. In CS5, I could select which of the three exposures had the least movement for removing ghosts.

Here is the full image with a different edit/tone. You can tell there is some ghosting but it's not too obvious.

[Spike44]

Very original - I like the processing on the chrome appliances in foreground/below.
Just a suggestion.....straighten the left side verticals (door and shelf). I downloaded your image and used Photoshop's perspective crop tool on my machine and it looks really great.

EDIT
I agree -I like your cropped version better.

[MikeFairbanks]

Oh, the hundred-dollar cheeseburger! Have you ever heard of that saying?

[Gary McDuffie]

Nice work, Gene. I prefer the second, but both are very interesting. Reminds me of the place where I picked up my first private plane ride with a guy who had just passed his ticket. Boy was I naive. I later got my own ticket and the thought of that flight scares the hell out of me! The little airport cafe where he offered me a ride looked much like this in Redding back in the 60s.

[MikeFairbanks]

The Hundred-Dollar Cheeseburger is a phrase that pilots use to describe the reason they fly from small airport to small airport. They fly a couple hundred miles, stop for a cheeseburger at the airport diner, and then fly home, costing them a couple hundred bucks.....all for a cheeseburger.

Of course, they're really flying for the fun of it, but by the time they're finished, they have spent a couple hundred bucks.

Hence, the hundred-dollar cheeseburger.

[Gary McDuffie]

We used to do that up in Montana. Either lunch or just a cold drink on a hot day.

[navydoc]

Mike,

Thanks for explaining the phrase "hunderd dollar cheeseburger". When I was younger, my wife and I would do something similar by driving from L.A. to Bakersfield for a burger...or to San Diego for a cup of coffee and so on. Of course, I drove a car but the reasoning was the same. It was an excuse to take a drive with someone you cared for just to spend time together enjoying the scenary.

[KenVP]

Great stuff, nice capture

[HEAVYGT]

I like it as well

[crimsonblack]

Oh Man! You nailed the image. Great piece of work.

[Kevin]

Most excellent Gene, composition, treatment A+

[George Mohr]

Crisp and clean ... you nailed this one =)

[Gnhntn]

Great shot. I like a lot.

[jetboy]

When I was younger, my wife and I would do something similar by driving from L.A. to Bakersfield for a burger...

Thats funny, because we used to go from Bakersfield to LA to get a meal.

As for the photo, nice work... but, is it just me that thinks the cook looks a tad like a zombie? Are you sure they aren't cooking brains?