Asylum G

[vmlopes]

So a few from a new explore last week...........

#1


#2


#3


#4

[LeeIs]

love them all. perfect atmosphere conveyed in all of them. they seem like 3d exposures. u really have this technique down very well.

[draymorton]

Agreed. They look like renderings. Don't even mind the highlight clipping in #3. Great work.

[armando_m]

wow

outstanding job!

[naznomore_92]

Excellent Pictures....looks Like It Might Have Been A Pretty Scary Place To Take Pictures In.

[PrevailingConditions]

I'll join the chorus here, very nice shots all around. Great lighting and atmosphere all around.

PC

[Grandpaw]

The series is great and my favorite is the one with the turntable, Jeff

[daq7]

The only critique I can give is that I wish you would mentor me for a bit.

[vmlopes]

Thanks everyone your all very kind

[GB1]

VM, Excellent as always. Are these HDRs? The dynamic range looks incredible. Maybe it's the Canon 5DMKII which is their flagship.

I still find the sharpness unworldly. I can never get my shots this sharp, even if I use a tripod, etc. Can you list your post processing steps again to create them?

As for the content, very very nice ... the shots seem to tell a story and make the viewer feel like he's there.

G

[draymorton]

Yes, how do you get that sharpness?

[daq7]

Well in general you can enhance sharpness a LOT with the details enhancer in photomatix. The effect is a lot like a sharpness increase, but it will massively grunge out your photos. But you can use it to blend back in with normal layers to get some of the effect without the hype-grunge.

I suspect there are blending modes you could use to make that process even more effective, but I have not discovered what they are. Vmlopes general results remind me a lot of my own, but his subjects are different, and his mastery of the process is quite a bit better. So I think I know HOW I could recreate these looks, but I would just like to be this good at it.

[Deege]

Great pictures!

[GB1]

Daq, I have PM and don't see the Details Enhancer for a single image... Do you mean that these are indeed HDRs?

[daq7]

Depends on what you mean GB. He may not be tone mapping them, but they seem certainly to be at least layer blends. I am sure there are other methods for enhancing the texture other than tone mapping. In fact I am sure you can do it if you are skillful with curves.

As I said, I think if I was asked to recreate these I would at least know how to TRY to do it. I would not do it as well....

[vmlopes]

Thanks everyone...................ok so to summise a little on the processing.......they are all multiple exposure HDR's, some 3 some 5 depends on the room and the tonal range at the time, may even do a single shot if I cant get the tripod in. Always shoot in high quality RAW and all in camera settings turned off.

RAW's loaded into photomatix for HDR and then tonemapped, very minimal settings on strength and saturation save as TIFF and then load into CS4 for some even more desaturation, curve levels, lots of burning and a final USM. Really sounds a lot but it isn't about 10mins on each shot.

Lots of other people have commented on the sharpness, but I dont do anything different than what I did with my 40D, have always been told to have the in camera sharpning turned off though.

So 5DMKII with Canon 24-105L all on tripod make sure the IS is turned off though , and for your viewing pleasure here's a few more.

#5


#6


#7


#8

[GB1]

Thanks for the info VM. I guess it could be a variety of factors - camera sensor, lens quality, good steady use of tripod, HDR merging/tone mapping process, etc. Definitely a case study of the way HDR should be done !!!!

G

[daq7]

I am pretty sure that the textural enhancement is at least partly being done by photomatix, but I guess I need to start doing tone mapping at lower intensity settings. I am not getting identical results to vmlopes, but my aesthetic instincts are pretty similar in my opinion. So I should play around with milder tone mapping in photomatix.