What's your position on HDR?

[neophyte]

http://www.earthphotos.com/photos/643075985_5Lm4S-X3.jpg

HDR of one RAW photo converted to three 16 bit .tifs, from minutes after dawn at the cliffs at Watson's Bay near Sydney, Australia a couple of weeks ago. The sun had just risen out of the Pacific and was shining straight horizontally on the cliffs.

So much HDR photography pushes the effect too far, I'm liking setting the strength really low in Photomatix and teasing some subtlety out. Thoughts?

Here are http://www.earthphotos.com/Other/Australia-HDR/9590402_EKJEX a few more.

Neophyte
EarthPhotos.com

[ront]

I generally do not care for HDR that is over the top. I guess it may have it's place in more of an artsy photo. I do like HDR a lot though when tastefully done as in your photo here Neophyte. I like using it to recreate scenes as my eye has seen them. I still have much to learn, but like I said, I do like HDR.
I hope you don't mind me posting a photo of mine here. I just could not get this scene right until I tried HDR. I thought it worked well here. This was 3 different exposures, combined in Photomatix.

Ron

BTW, you have some really nice photos on your site!!

http://ront.smugmug.com/photos/537203092_o8kqW-L.jpg

[dlplumer]

When HDR is done well, I love it. I love your shot :clap :clap

[rwells]

Just dropped in to say, that's a gorgeous shot :thumb

[cmkultradome]

When HDR is done well, I love it. I love your shot :clap :clap

:agree

Stephanie

[alexf]

That shot is excellent.

As per you question, I do not like overdone HDR, which seems all to common nowadays.

Reminds me of the over-the-top Topaz Adjust fad when it first came out.

[redleash]

I do a lot of HDR and I generally try to keep it looking naturally, or perhaps pushed just a bit if I think the particular shot calls for it. Once in a while I will try a more extreme look, as ront says for a "more artsy" look. I have seen some very tastefully done HDR images that push the extreme (our member Jason St Peter comes to mind--I really like his work a lot), but I've also seen some that look more like cartoons than photographs. Like any art medium, there are viewers who love it and those who don't, and there are artists who do it well and those who don't.

You have done a very nice job on your shot. You brought out the tonal range and kept the detail but you didn't push it too far. Very nicely done, IMO!

Lauren

[squirl033]

i look at HDR as just one more tool in my kit. i try not to use it too much, and when i do, i try to keep the result as natural looking as possible. it does have a place, and is very useful for salvaging images that have dynamic range or exposure issues, but it's not something i like to use all the time. and i do not particularly care for the tendency many seem to have to "overcook" images so that they look like something from a bad video game.

here's an example of how i like to use HDR. the first image is the raw file from the camera - too dark, with too little detail in the shadows. the second is the same image processed using Photomatix, and is much closer in terms of lighting and contrast to what i actually saw...

http://i812.photobucket.com/albums/zz47/squirl035/IMG_0367.jpg

http://i812.photobucket.com/albums/zz47/squirl035/IMG_0367tonemappedsm.jpg

[neophyte]

Red Leash Lauren, I love the way you've taken ordinary stuff and made notable photos from it in your HDR gallery. And the Model T is GORGEOUS.

Rocky, I think that's a good example of "keeping it real" with HDR. And it looks like most people in this thread agree not to push the effects too far.

I feel that way too, but to prove there are exceptions to everything - and please disagree if you like - these two are kind of TRYING to be cartoons, and they make me smile:

http://www.earthphotos.com/photos/612594092_FxRNm-M.jpg

and

http://www.earthphotos.com/photos/609723221_uncwf-M.jpg

Neo at <a href="http://www.earthphotos.com">EarthPhotos.com</a>

[redleash]

neophyte -- Those two are terrific images! I think they show an excellent and appropriate use of HDR. I get the cartoonish look you responded to. :thumb

Lauren

P.S. Thanks for looking at my HDR gallery and thanks for the kind remark!

[dlplumer]

Love the last two "cartoons". :clap What technique did you use to get this look?

[mercphoto]

Love the last two "cartoons". :clap What technique did you use to get this look?
I'll second that!