1st Attempt at HDR - Cumbria

blondie606

blondie606

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Name
Lynne
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Hi all

on our recent jaunt to Cumbria I was introduced to shooting multiple exposures with the aim of trying some HDR stuff ( cheers for the lessons Guy's.....think I got the hang of it eventually :LOL: )

I know HDR is a somewhat marmite subject but really fancied giving it a go having seen some glorious images in this forum . Finally got round to downloading the trial version ( hence the watermarks)of Photomatix to see if I could get it to work....not very good with 'puter programmes !

Here's a few that I'm quite pleased with....love to know if I've gone to OTT..

#1...I know there's a bit of a halo going on around the top of the trre's...not refined the process yet

DSC_4208_11_tonemapped_filtereda by llj666, on Flickr

#2


DSC_4383_4_5_tonemapped_filtereda by llj666, on Flickr

#3


DSC_4967_8_9_tonemapped_filtereda by llj666, on Flickr

#4...think I may have over-cooked this one a wee bit


DSC_5204_5_6_tonemapped_filtereda by llj666, on Flickr


'twas fun playing about with the effects...I'm pleased with the results so far so am going to buy the full version of Photomatix Essentials

Thanks for looking & appreciate any hints/advice/crit on using this system

cheers,Lynne (y)
 
HDR is a lot of fun, and can really give an edge on some images.

You've not quite grasped the processing but I'm sure it will come with time.

As far as composition goes, the fourth is the best one. I think you should focus on that one and try and make it into something really special - it's got potential.

A few things to watch out for when processing images in HDR is that you get a good balance of highlights, midtones and shadows - a lot of the mids have been washed out in your images and overall reduced the contrast making them, well, look washed out. Also you need to watch out for creating 'halos' (bright white lines around certain objects) - you can see them on the mountains in #1 and #4.
 
I like them feels very lord of the ringy if you see what I mean. I would say your last one looks a lil OTT but some people like it like that.
 
Good effort for your first go :) Loving the orange hues and composition on #2. You obv have a eye for composition so now you just gotta master Photomatix and you'll have some stunning work.

Here's a tip when using Photomatix - if your working with an image that contains bright sky (like most of your posted images) you can usually eliminate 'haloing' by increasing the 'smooth highlights' slider. In order to bring back some of the shadow in the clouds just increase the 'black point' slider a bit and play with the 'lighting adjustments' slider.

Every image is different and will need a different approach but it's all good fun, you might want to check out Trey Ratcliff's 'Stuck in customs' HDR tutorial for all you need to know to get started ;)

Good luck!
 
Some really nice shots there! Great use of HDR.
I really am becoming a fan,

I'm on a mountaineering course in Wales in a couple of weeks cant wait to get some shots while out and about in the Welsh countryside.
 
All of them are very good 1st attempts, #2 has particularly good potential as the composition and 'layering' effect is very pleasing. If it were mine I would be spending a bit of time perfecting it (y)
 
i like number 1 - but the hills have a white outline to them which needs sorting out.
 
I'm not a HDR fan as usually they're over cooked.
Most of these however are fine, excluding the halo!

#1 doesn't look too HDR until you get to the Halo on the mountain ridge, but composition is good as is the colour in the boat house. I'd be interested in seeing how much colour you got without the HDR.

#2 again doesn't look HDR, but the fore and mid ground look brighter than I recall it was on the evening.

#3 is a great composition, nice subtle foreground to add interest but it's not in your face. I'd be tempted to crop some off the bottom though. The cloud has great colour, presumably brought out by the HDR but I don't like where it is! Again the HDR process doesn't look over done, in fact I'd say it may need a touch more to try and pull some colour out of those trees.

#4 is my fav for composition although I'm finding the rock on the left distracting. Something isn't working though. The rocks in the fore ground have some colour and the sky clearly does which reflects through the water, but the mountains look very flat and dull. I'd be tempted to tone down the sky and try and bring out more colour in the mountains to balance things out. I'd also try cropping the left hand rock out too.

I've found that I was getting great results with my CPL and ND grad.
The CPL was boosting the vegetation colour and the ND grad combo was holding back the sky for a good balance. I'll be investing in more filters for our June meet, I think I have all the glass I need, although that 18-250 of yours sounds very tempting!.
 
superpippo said:
Hi,
I don't know much about HDR but I like the composition of your shots. #2 looks a beauty, with wonderful ethereal feeling, even tho the horizon is in the centre and thus goes against most advice. #4 good too - what do they look like without the HDR.
Click to expand...

Thanks for commenting...with the exception of #1 these are 3 images so the originals are over & underexposed & 1is somewhere about right -but it isn't cos I was just learning :)

foodpoison said:
HDR is a lot of fun, and can really give an edge on some images.

You've not quite grasped the processing but I'm sure it will come with time.

As far as composition goes, the fourth is the best one. I think you should focus on that one and try and make it into something really special - it's got potential.

A few things to watch out for when processing images in HDR is that you get a good balance of highlights, midtones and shadows - a lot of the mids have been washed out in your images and overall reduced the contrast making them, well, look washed out. Also you need to watch out for creating 'halos' (bright white lines around certain objects) - you can see them on the mountains in #1 and #4.
Click to expand...


Cheers FP....wasn't sure how far to go so went for a softer looker...was quite a cold day & didn't want to spoil that . Halo's....yeah...need to practice practice :LOL:

Dblock said:
I like them feels very lord of the ringy if you see what I mean. I would say your last one looks a lil OTT but some people like it like that.
Click to expand...

Cheers DB (y)

tintin said:
Good effort for your first go :) Loving the orange hues and composition on #2. You obv have a eye for composition so now you just gotta master Photomatix and you'll have some stunning work.

Here's a tip when using Photomatix - if your working with an image that contains bright sky (like most of your posted images) you can usually eliminate 'haloing' by increasing the 'smooth highlights' slider. In order to bring back some of the shadow in the clouds just increase the 'black point' slider a bit and play with the 'lighting adjustments' slider.

Every image is different and will need a different approach but it's all good fun, you might want to check out Trey Ratcliff's 'Stuck in customs' HDR tutorial for all you need to know to get started ;)

Good luck!
Click to expand...

Hi TT....thanks for the link....some great images there & a really useful tutorial....can't see a black slider on Essentials...maybe thats only on the Pro version ? Think I may go for the Pro version cos I enjoyed doing these images (y)

ST4 said:
1 I don't think benefits from the treatment. I know the boatbouse at Ullswater spot well and a normal image would suffice. The same applies to 2, but to a lesser extent.

3 and 4 are brilliant however
Click to expand...

Hi ST4....#1 was a thrw away...2 images(not bracketed) that I thought I'd have a play with...got a couple of normal ones...learning curve..some work some don't........

jpay said:
Some really nice shots there! Great use of HDR.
I really am becoming a fan,

I'm on a mountaineering course in Wales in a couple of weeks cant wait to get some shots while out and about in the Welsh countryside.
Click to expand...

Ji ya jpay...think I've seen some HDR stuff on your flickr ( bodies ?)...have fun in Wales...look forward to seeing your shots (y)

gramps said:
All of them are very good 1st attempts, #2 has particularly good potential as the composition and 'layering' effect is very pleasing. If it were mine I would be spending a bit of time perfecting it (y)
Click to expand...

Thanks gramps....yet more stuff to keep me stuck in front of the computer !

scottyboy said:
i like number 1 - but the hills have a white outline to them which needs sorting out.
Click to expand...

Thanks SB....yup , halo there...1st attempt so learnig ( & I learn very slowly:LOL: )
 
Mentalblock said:
I'm not a HDR fan as usually they're over cooked.
Most of these however are fine, excluding the halo!

#1 doesn't look too HDR until you get to the Halo on the mountain ridge, but composition is good as is the colour in the boat house. I'd be interested in seeing how much colour you got without the HDR.

#2 again doesn't look HDR, but the fore and mid ground look brighter than I recall it was on the evening.

#3 is a great composition, nice subtle foreground to add interest but it's not in your face. I'd be tempted to crop some off the bottom though. The cloud has great colour, presumably brought out by the HDR but I don't like where it is! Again the HDR process doesn't look over done, in fact I'd say it may need a touch more to try and pull some colour out of those trees.

#4 is my fav for composition although I'm finding the rock on the left distracting. Something isn't working though. The rocks in the fore ground have some colour and the sky clearly does which reflects through the water, but the mountains look very flat and dull. I'd be tempted to tone down the sky and try and bring out more colour in the mountains to balance things out. I'd also try cropping the left hand rock out too.

I've found that I was getting great results with my CPL and ND grad.
The CPL was boosting the vegetation colour and the ND grad combo was holding back the sky for a good balance. I'll be investing in more filters for our June meet, I think I have all the glass I need, although that 18-250 of yours sounds very tempting!.
Click to expand...

Thanks for popping in Neil....you realise this is all your & Andys fault...bracketing exposures :LOL: Glad you guy's got me doing it though !

#1....2 images but not bracketed...just thought I'd try it & see what happened....didn't spot the halo till I posted...practice practice :bonk:

#2....yeah . I wanted to get more emphasis on the mist against the darker BG & show the frost on the fields so lightened it

#3 confsed...you don't like where the cloud is :thinking: the cloud color is quite close to the original....wanted to not overcook the colors...'twas a frosty morning & wanted to retain that in the foreground

#4....this was all about the sky...it was stunning...me & Dawn whizzing up & down Ullswater to get to the places we wanted to be :LOL: The frost had'nt lifted all day & was visible on the mountains...wanted to try n bring that out....lots to practice on (y)

I finally bought some Cokin filters & an adapter for the 18-270...if they ever turn up :razz: Resisted the temptation to buy a wider lens...think I still need a CPL though..on the list for next months paypacket . Kinda hoping that between the 10 of us we'll have all the filters & lenses we need....& thats a not so subtle way of saying I may be asking to borrow something :D
 
blondie606 said:
#3 confsed...you don't like where the cloud is :thinking: the cloud color is quite close to the original....wanted to not overcook the colors...'twas a frosty morning & wanted to retain that in the foreground
Click to expand...

It looks false, not part of the scene, I'd prefer it to have been more to the right filling the sky, too cold to hang around while it moves though!

As for the filters, they're a must for landscape photography.
I'll be picking up some more for June.
I also want a better CPL than the cheap one I have at the moment.
Need to save the pennies first though!
 
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