HDR photography (Canon, photoshop, cameras, sunrise)

[11thHour]

I think I'm the only person who doesn't like HDR.

[Old Man Winter]

Originally Posted by 11thHour

I think I'm the only person who doesn't like HDR.

Want to bet on that ? LOL, it is not my thing at all. Most of it looks either metallic, cartoony or its so over done that it hurts the eyes. I have seen some that you would never know were HDR's, those I like as they still look like photographs. Maybe its just not my thing, dunno.

[raven302]

If you want to see what I think of standard HDR it isnt what is posted thus far. This to me is HDR (for example linked below) a contact of mines work on Flickr. This is what I am working for. Not just regular photos with pastel colors overlaid.

Flickr: paul vu's Photostream (http://www.flickr.com/photos/paulvuu/ - broken link)

[RayinAK]

Originally Posted by 11thHour

I think I'm the only person who doesn't like HDR.

+1. I don't mind some image slight blending as long as it looks natural or real, but HDR looks too unreal.

[raven302]

I like it if it looks like a drawing. I hate it when it looks like it "woulkd be" a good photo but terrible eater egg coloring like mine are now.

[raven302]

Maybe im misguided as to what HDR is. If theres a 100% way to do it that takes 100% of the art out of it.

[mathjak107]

absoluetly, hdr dosnt have to look phoney..its just a question of how you do it... on those contrasty days when you either have to tolerate blown skies or shadows with no detail hdr is perfect for capturing it all.

here are hdr extended range photos that are very normal looking yet if i took one exposure i couldnt capture the range of the scene..

the first one is black poles and white snow, no way i could get anything but light gray snow or dark gray gray lightpoles at the same time if i used 1 shot.. these are 7 exposures ...







http://mm-photography.smugmug.com/Other/LANDSCAPE-EXPOSURE-FUSION/DSC374123fused/674862638_Xtrzu-X2.jpg (broken link)

[PA2UK]

Originally Posted by RayinAK

+1. I don't mind some image slight blending as long as it looks natural or real, but HDR looks too unreal.

HDR doesn't have to look unreal. Some people feel if an HDR is done RIGHT, you shouldn't even be able to tell it's an HDR. So you've probably seen tons of them without even realizing they were HDRs. I think some of mine are a little HDR-looking but not over the top, in my opinion - and I've also done some that probably don't look very HDRy at all. I don't mind a slightly surreal look but hate the very metallic ones or when the colors go all pastel.

[mathjak107]

this is 3 exposure fused images to creat one smooth extended range photo. the origional best single shot exposure i could get had such dark detail in the shadow areas that the bushes on the left were almost black. if i tried to increase exposure the sky looked awful...so i took 3 shots ,2 stops up and 2 stops below and fused them.


the next bunch captured inside and outside a dark tunnel.. the last photo was the best i could do without hdr.....

the one before the last was not fused but tonemapped. you can see it start to take on that over the top look in the greens. but you can see all the detail in the tunnel as well as not blown out in the view outside the tunnel.. if i added exposure to the last single image outside the tunnel was just overexposed and blown out.


as far as the rest if i didnt tell you it was hdr you would never have known so dont blame the hdr process for that phoney cartoon look,blame the photographer.

[Old Man Winter]

"as far as the rest if i didnt tell you it was hdr you would never have known so dont blame the hdr process for that phoney cartoon look,blame the photographer."

Math, I was not commenting on your work or any others that have HDR interests. I dont recall placing blame, I was simply stating my tastes for photography. In no way was I trying to offend you or anyone else. If I did offend you, accept my appologies, it was not the intent of the comment.

I did commercial film separation for a long time when I was younger, I have a very discerning eye for imperfections in print or film. If an HDR is not done correctly, I can assure you I will see it. The layering of exposures for HDR is far less complicated than film separations, yet the layering needs to be just as perfect for it to work. The coloring in HDR is a matter of personal taste, how far one pushes the HDR is a matter of expression. I may try it some day, im sure I would have fun with it. For now it is something I am not worried about experimenting with.