HDR images

HDR photography: you either love it or hate it! I'm warming to it. Here is a small selection of photos taken in Jersey and Guernsey last week. They were all taken with a Canon 7D and processed using Photomatix Pro 4 software.

HDR is something you should just use occasionally. No offence but that third picture makes me puke, looks so soft and unreal. Destroys the whole picture.

I think the first and last photos really work with HDR.

nice set

I would increase the contrast on all of them. Regardless of how you feel about HDR, there is a guy here in Phoenix that does WAY over the top HDR's on the most innane subjects---and sells the crap out of them! He was even the featured "artist" at the Fall Tempe Arts Festival. None of the other photographers can understand it, but there you go.

Many thanks for all the comments and advice!

I often blend some HDR into my work but I don't ever go this far. Having said that, there was a time when I did dabble and when I look back, I really like that I don't do it anymore!

I don't think its that ppl don't like HDR, its that people that know better have tired at the sight of over saturated images with low contrast and halos where they shouldn't be.

You've over cooked every one of these and they look very amateur.

wayne_eddy wrote in post #15845213
I often blend some HDR into my work but I don't ever go this far. Having said that, there was a time when I did dabble and when I look back, I really like that I don't do it anymore!

I don't think its that ppl don't like HDR, its that people that know better have tired at the sight of over saturated images with low contrast and halos where they shouldn't be.

You've over cooked every one of these and they look very amateur.

Hi Wayne. Everyone's entitled to their opinion which is the way it should be in this world! You say they look very amateur; well, this isn't really surprising as I am an amateur! These were my first ever (posted) HDR images! Whilst I appreciate your advice, I must say I found it rather harsh and demotivating.

I like the composition of the first one but agree they are all overcooked. I think what people get irritated about is that HDR was supposed to be the art of blending a shot where the range of light from the sky to the foreground was balanced. Photomatix took it to creating cartoonish pencil drawings with images that didn't need a broad range shown anyway. Vivid over done outlandishness just for the sake of it offends the purists. Now get off my lawn you kids!!!

Chris Hall wrote in post #15845482
Hi Wayne. Everyone's entitled to their opinion which is the way it should be in this world! You say they look very amateur; well, this isn't really surprising as I am an amateur! These were my first ever (posted) HDR images! Whilst I appreciate your advice, I must say I found it rather harsh and demotivating.

Ah well. I wasn't the one that said one of your images made me puke.

One day you will look back on the posts in this thread and be glad experienced people told you what they thought.

Imagine if the thread went the way of many others and you had a string of "nice shots" which is common place on forums and doesn't motivate people to better. I'd prefer people tell me how it is.

I actually like HDR's. The Nik HDR EFEX PRO 2 software is really great, I love the results I get from it. Check out some of my posts in the HDR thread or on my website and you can see what I'm talking about. It is easy to get a bit carried away with the technique but that's all it is, a tool you can use when needed. I really like the HDR look for sunsets, where the dynamic range is way too high to capture with a normal shot.

I like the 1st shot you posted the best, the second is a tad overdone. The last one is interesting too but a bit grainy.

Here's one I took recently where I purposfully overdid the HDR effect.

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Arob1000 wrote in post #15847462
I actually like HDR's. The Nik HDR EFEX PRO 2 software is really great, I love the results I get from it. Check out some of my posts in the HDR thread or on my website and you can see what I'm talking about. It is easy to get a bit carried away with the technique but that's all it is, a tool you can use when needed. I really like the HDR look for sunsets, where the dynamic range is way too high to capture with a normal shot.

I like the 1st shot you posted the best, the second is a tad overdone. The last one is interesting too but a bit grainy.

Here's one I took recently where I purposfully overdid the HDR effect.

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Thanks for your comments. I like your shot a lot!

From an artistic perspective I love HDR, it is psychedelic and awesome. People that insult other peoples work make me sick, just don't embarrass yourself like that. The reality is that HDR usually does not look real, if you can make it look real then you are a good photoshop tweaker. The purpose of HDR is to expose highlights and shadows properly but the algorithms allow you to achieve surreal and interesting effects. If you want realistic high dynamic range then layer mask all of your exposures and paint the highlights and shadows by hand. And chill with the ugly comments.

calypsob wrote in post #15853275
From an artistic perspective I love HDR, it is psychedelic and awesome. People that insult other peoples work make me sick, just don't embarrass yourself like that. The reality is that HDR usually does not look real, if you can make it look real then you are a good photoshop tweaker. The purpose of HDR is to expose highlights and shadows properly but the algorithms allow you to achieve surreal and interesting effects. If you want realistic high dynamic range then layer mask all of your exposures and paint the highlights and shadows by hand. And chill with the ugly comments.

Good points, well made!

That 1 st pic is awesome, the rest ehhh for hdr, last shot had potential