My First HDR / Blending Project

Well my passion for photography has always been focused to the subject in front of the camera, whether it be news, events, or some strange combination of rarity and curiosity.

Recently, I have started watching training videos on other types of photography, such as architectural, landscape, etc. The concept of photo retouching -though I knew it existed- was emphasized just as much, or probably more than the time spent on taking the photograph itself.

In short, I am intrigued by the idea, and I am also very new to the prospect. Sure, I would never get caught dreaming of modifying a typical news photo, other than perhaps a slight crop, or even a bit of curve adjustment. However, when the object of these still photographs are to entice the mind and heart, then "retouching" seems to be fair game.

Ok, without any further Ado, to the project:

NEW BART/TRAIN STATION - DUBLIN IREL.. CALIFORNIA.

Below is the graphic of the 2 week old complex, that connects two cities (Pleasanton and Dublin) with a walkway over the 580/680 Fwy. My goal is to photograph as best I can a general image of this complex, and then do so in HDR / Different exposures, so that I can blend all of these in, to create a much more attractive image of the location.

Today I am going to scout the place, and see what I can do. Will post more as I go along !!...

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First Stage, scouting. Study, study, and more study.
Looking at the Google Maps, in order to find the best vantage point.
Where is the Sun going to be, and where is a good place to set the camera at?...

Some initial thoughts:

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Well, I was able to spend the evening taking photos.

I cannot stress enough how important scouting and pre-prodding the shooting location is. Maps and graphics are fine, but do yourself a favor and walk around the place. Invested time equals less wasted time.

Location: From the hotel it was impossible, and I did not make it in time to go across both freeways, to explore that north side of things. In the end, I decided to approach the site from the south (I scouted the area from the low right corner of the map above) and the view wasn't great, mostly due to the sun being directly in front of me.

Settled by going up the southern parking building (low center of screen) and from the roof I was able to set up shop. Took a few sets, but eventually I waited for the sun to go behind the mountains, and shades to dissapear. Almost immediately after lights went on, and it surely got more interesting.

Before and after shots about to be posted, needless to say, you are more than welcome to mess with the before shots, see what you come up with.

(Now I gots to go home and resize images, then upload).

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Here are the links to the before images:

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com …mario_gravina/5​497553892/

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com …mario_gravina/5​497553484/

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com …mario_gravina/5​496958943/

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com …mario_gravina/5​496958213/