frog's first hdr

[Frog]

Looking through those sunrise shots I realized that maybe some could be combined into an hdr as I had several different exposures of the same scene, so I downloaded the photomatrix trial and this is what I ended up with. I think it isn't great and would like to hear from those with hdr experience what is right and what is wrong and whatever anyone else thinks too. I'm thinking I'll start looking for opportunities for hdr now.

[Mr Yuck]

your Photomatix (no R) treatment looks good.

The scene does seem to lack something to focus on, though the rays of light coming through the fence are very cool looking. Very dreamlike quality.

EDIT The long crop in your other post "Sunrise Fence" works better for this scene IMO and works great without HDR.

There are also some bothersome flare or waterspots? That's the main bother for me.

Keep playing with HDR, I think you'll find it's an awesome tool...I've begun to "see" in HDR, not just for more realistic photos, but also for effects. An overcast sky isnt boring for me...with Photomatix, it can be turned into a threatening sky. (nothing to do with your shot, just saying to keep HDR'ing)

Before you lay down $100 for Photomatix, (assuming you're not military or academic at which point it's just $40) another HDR program you may want to consider is Dynamic Photo HDR I just found it, and am pretty impressed with it, it's also pretty cheap to buy, and if you elect not to buy it, the watermark isnt nearly as irritating as that of Photomatix.

(I'll be writing about Dynamic Photo HDR soon, though I dont think I'm gonna buy it.)

[jkriminger]

remember you need same aperture with different speeds for hdr

[freygr]

Frog: The lens flare distracts me allot. I do like the picture but the flare......

[MB1]

I'm thinking this isn't really a good subject for hdr as there aren't a lot of elements in the frame. As Yuck noted the real killer photo was your long crop of this scene that you posted earlier.

[Frog]

Thankyou all. I do wish one of the horses had happened by.
Its definitly flare and not a water spot and these were all shot at f/16 if memeory serves me right.
I may crop this one to appear like a pano too. Subtle differences.

[Didache]

frog - I think you should try it again with something with a lot more dynamic range in it (eg a building partly in shade, partly in sun, bright whites, and darker tones, etc) - these are the things that HDR can really bring out. While you have done a reasonable job on what you have here, I would not have known it was HDR if you hadn't said. For myself, I found it useful to "practice" from a RAW file while I could use to generate several different versions with different exposures.

I look forward to seeing your next attempts!

Cheers
Mike

[fx101]

If you are going to shoot a sunrise it is important, as with any HDR to keep the camera VERY still and bracket your shots. It sometimes helps to shoot continous so that nothing moves in your photo too much. It definitely looks like your tripod or even camera moved. Shoot on a tripod.

[GB1]

Frog - I've never done an HDR so this is all a learning experience for me to read the critiques. I like the shadows and surreal feeling here. There are some blown out areas and the blue in the bottom right confuses me a bit, but again I am no HDR creator yet.

G