The barn - CC please

[bigtwinky]

Trying my hand at some HDR and processing, and trying to find the right image to do it with.

This came out pretty decently, and while there are things I'd like to fix, I'd love your comments

 

[JohnnyL]

I like it very much! I'm definitely not as experienced as you but I think it'll look better if the blue sky looked abit greyish or clouds look abit blueish , like blended together because right now it looks like you B&W the clouds and stuck a blue sky right in the middle. Kapow!

 

[bigtwinky]

Thanks for the tips! I'll have a look at that when I fix up other issues with the image.

There was a storm rolling in, maybe that impacted the colour of the clouds more?

 

[JohnnyL]

There was a storm rolling in, maybe that impacted the colour of the clouds more?

Yeah I think so! Dramatic clouds with HDR.

 

[Knawx]

I'm just glad to see someone not going completely crazy with HDR images as most do. People tend to push it way too far and ruin the image.

 

[bigtwinky]

I hear ya, but to each their own. If someone wants to process all their images in HDR, whether its a scene that requires it or not, thats their thing, its all good. I like to see HDR as another tool in my bag.

However, I'm still in the learning process of this tool and try and find different times and places to use it, sometimes it works, other times it doesnt.

Thanks for looking

 

[McNugget801]

Looks pretty good but your high end shot was over exposed... big time.

 

[bigtwinky]

Not sure I get it...isn't the high shot supposed to be over exposed and very noticable over exposed? If it wasn't over exposed, it would be properly exposed... hmm..

Are you referring to the sun right over the middle of the barn? The sun was just starting to peek out making it pretty damn bright there. I do agree that its blown out... going to try working on that and a few other things in the next little while.

Thanks for the comments

 

[McNugget801]

Not sure I get it...isn't the high shot supposed to be over exposed and very noticable over exposed? If it wasn't over exposed, it would be properly exposed... hmm..

Right - but you don't want overexpose it to a point where the clouds are blowing out.

Here is how I would of set up AEB for the shot. -3 -1 +1
Then I would look at the middle image (-1) and make sure the sky did not blow out... a little bit is acceptable. Then I would minor tweeks to AEB and take a few more shots.

Post - Take the 3 best images into LR and use the recovery slider on the lighter images and adjust the exposure up on the darker images.
Then export to photomatix for HDR processing.

I used pretty much this same process here - http://www.flickr.com/photos/summit42/4051012220/

 

[Buckster]

Not sure I get it...isn't the high shot supposed to be over exposed and very noticable over exposed? If it wasn't over exposed, it would be properly exposed... hmm..

Right - but you don't want overexpose it to a point where the clouds are blowing out.

It shouldn't matter as long as the shot made to capture the highlights detail doesn't blow them out.

In a scene with too much dynamic range to be captured in a single shot, the shot made to capture the shadow detail will probably blow out the highlights, while the shot made to capture the highlight detail will probably lose the shadow detail, while a middle average shot will lose a bit on both ends, which is quite often the point of using multiple images to create an HDR.

 

[bigtwinky]

Thats my problem, all of my shots had them blown out, so nothing much I can do.
Maybe I should of taken more shots, larger bracket range...

Live and learn

Thanks for the tips guys

 

[Buckster]

Thats my problem, all of my shots had them blown out, so nothing much I can do.

Nothing? Really? F/32 and 1/8000 should have kept it from blowing out!

Seriously though, were you shooting with the intent of using HDR, or just trying to make something from a handful of shots later? I suspect the later, or we wouldn't be discussing it.

I find myself bracketing in the field when I think there's any possibility I might want to HDR the scene later, doing my best to make an exposure that will give good highlight detail, another for the shadow detail, and a middle of the road exposure, at least.