Very subtle HDR

[mmroden]

Only just now got around to merging this image I took last year.

It's actually a group of three images, shot at sunrise at a bridge on Hatteras Island. The clouds moved a bit, and I didn't have a tripod (sacrilege!), so it's not perfect, but it's a merge of three frames. The high gets the bridge itself and the grass, the low gets the clouds, and the middle joins the two together. Over -5/3 stops to 5/3 stops, three frames, raw conversion, d70. Trying to do this from a single frame just, well, doesn't work so well.

http://mmroden.smugmug.com/photos/129733036-M-1.jpg

C&C appreciated :)

[wxwax]

Nice job. That's a natural looking HDR image, not so common. :thumb

[Skippy]

Only just now got around to merging this image I took last year.

It's actually a group of three images, shot at sunrise at a bridge on Hatteras Island. The clouds moved a bit, and I didn't have a tripod (sacrilege!), so it's not perfect, but it's a merge of three frames. The high gets the bridge itself and the grass, the low gets the clouds, and the middle joins the two together. Over -5/3 stops to 5/3 stops, three frames, raw conversion, d70. Trying to do this from a single frame just, well, doesn't work so well.
C&C appreciated :)

A very nice shot too :thumb it looks very natural .... thanks for sharing.
.... Skippy
.

[Swartzy]

Yes, balanced....not over the top. We likes it :clap

[mmroden]

Glad everyone digs it :) Especially since I seem to recall a thread not too long ago, something about how HDR isn't so hot... :D

[Swartzy]

Glad everyone digs it :) Especially since I seem to recall a thread not too long ago, something about how HDR isn't so hot... :D

was because most are overdone, unrealistic and look unreal. This shot is subtle, hence the comments.

[livefreenski]

love this HDR well done

[Van Isle]

very nicely done, especially considering you had no tripod? Wow. BTW, I really like some of those HDR shots that some folks consider "overdone." Sometimes makes it kinda edgy. But this shot is a stand alone excellent image. :clap

[mmroden]

again, thanks for the kudos :)

I've found that the trick, when not using a tripod, is to use a combination of bracketing and rapid shots. I knew this scene would require HDR, so I tried maybe 7 or 8 times before I got a series that looked like there wasn't too much shift between frames. It also helps to be very, very still.

[Van Isle]

again, thanks for the kudos :)

I've found that the trick, when not using a tripod, is to use a combination of bracketing and rapid shots.

Great Tip!

It also helps to be very, very still.
No kidding?:rofl

[mmroden]

yes, I realize it's a blazing display of the obvious :)

But one way of being very very still is to lie down in the ground so that your hand is resting on the ground and holding the camera, for instance (which is what I did here), or hanging the camera down so that gravity pulls it into place for you.

[ian408]

Yes. The HDR thing does occassionally get carried away. However, with this
example; I think you've used the technique to demonstrate how it might
be better used.