The Irish Gate x2

The point of the exercise here is HDR v's Curves The composition is not the best but the quality of the light is what caught my interest . The first is a three exposure +/_ 2 ev HDR, the second is a curves adjustment single exposure. I was wondering if curves isn't the better option here?

Hmmm. I didn't read the entire text at first so I didn't know which was the HDR and which was the curve adjustment. I actually think the HDR looks more natural, the curves seems to have a little more light in the shadows than I would like. It looks like the underside of the leaves are lit up more in the curves version, and I wouldn't expect them to be lit. I combine both, I usually do a 3-5 exposure HDR, then adjust levels on the composite. This seems to approximate what my eye saw without looking overdone.

Thanks EOS, was hand held so three exposures was about the limit. The HDR came with CS5 and while it does reasonable job there is probably a better option out there, appreciate your thoughts

Pete, I'm liking the second image better. The clarity seems much better. May not be the more "natural" looking of the two, but if you increase the blacks a touch and the shadows even more, it may look more "real"...but I kind of like it as-is.

I've never heard of an Irish gate. In the states, we'd probably call them wrought iron gates. Maybe they're one in the same?

The Irish gate thing come about due to this being a gate I photographed near Donegal in Ireland a few months ago...:)

I know the composition is a bit weak as the gate is poorly defined but I appreciate your comments on the processing .

Naturally beautiful, you should adjust the exposure