Playing around with HDR -- Looking for Critique

[Vautrin]

Hi,

So I went around Boston yesterday to try to see if I could generate some cool looking HDR images.

I'd love any feedback. Some of these look cool, some suck. Be brutal! It'll help me learn .

Here's one of Boston's Government center, I like how this one came out:

Here's one of the statehouse -- this is probably my favorite:

Here's one of the gardens by the statehouse -- I was really surprised because it looks, well, like the non-HDR picture:

I don't really like how this one came out.... I made the highlights have no saturation so they'd be black and white, but if I didn't do that it'd be pretty, well, boring:

HDR didn't do much for the pictures of the flowers either. If I don't make the tone mapping so they come out some crazy purple you can't really tell it's HDR:

Here's the old north church:

And one more of the statehouse:

So what do you think?

-Dan

 

[Renair]

For me, they dont look HDR at all, sorry. I used the photomatix thing myself once before and just didnt like it.....

 

[rjackjames]

I would agree they dont look HDR......good effort though......Stunning images though.

 

[Vautrin]

I would agree they dont look HDR......good effort though......Stunning images though.

Hey,

I know I can use HDR to get all sorts of crazy alien looking landscapes and flowers that are all sorts of weird colors, I really didn't want to go for that.

It'll kind of make sense if I show you the ones I originally took.

So for this shot:

The "right" exposure doesn't look right, the building is too dark:

Plus the clouds look so friendly and inviting -- how boring! So I used photomatix to make the building exposed right, but take down the surroundings and the clouds a notch...

That way the building is the focus of the shot -- not the sky...

 

[Fox Paw]

Good work, Vautrin. I think the Old North Church is the best composition and the statehouse is also good. I'm not sure I know what people mean when they say it doesn't look like HDR. I try to make mine look like ordinary photos, only richer, and I think you did much the same.

In terms of critique, (a) I'm not qualified to offer one but (b) that won't stop me and (c) I think you've got it technically but, like me, you need to take more time thinking through the composition.

I see you have Photomatix. (What was my clue?) My tentative conclusiion is that the exposure blending yields the most natural results and the tone compression comes next. Try all three varieties, if you haven't yet, and see what you like best.