Why the hostility to the "overcooked" images ?

[SpikeyJohnson]

I now only do manual HDRs. I have never used light room before. Can it do layers?

Lightroom can not do layers but you can tweak things individually with brushes. Sadly though, if you want true layer blending you need Photoshop.

 

[keyseddie]

I have enormous respect for the guys like nzmacro and coastalconn, who shoot moving critters with such precision and have the technical know how to produce great images. As for HDR there surely is some poor images out there and also some excellent artwork employing HDR. I like that reaper is trying to push boundaries and I like what barbarian and fokker have posted. They exhibit good composition and that's why it works. The general photography standards and techniques comment reminds me of the comments made by the prevailing artists when the Impressionist painters came upon the scene in the 1860s. Although I've been doing it for a lifetime, I''m probably not a great technical photographer. I look at the photoshop/lightroom thread and it all seems foreign to me. I don't really have a workflow, I suppose. I'm more of an artist too lazy to paint or sculpt. I have a camera instead and I've been able to make it say what I feel and for me, most importantly, I've been able to sell what I make. One of my students who has been on a couple of my workshops does HDR. He knows the technical aspects because that's his personality and talent. He's slowly coming to terms with his artistic talents as well, which means we both are finding success in our efforts. I don't have a clue how to do HDR. Perhaps I'll learn. But for me, the most satisfying element of this debate is seeing others attempting to circumvent convention for the sake of art.

 

[fokker]

circumvent convention for the sake of art.

Now that's quote-worthy.

 

[Vince.1551]

I now only do manual HDRs. I have never used light room before. Can it do layers?

This is one great example of good HDR. Whoever thinks ALL HDRs are bad probably haven't SEEN enough HDRs or can't produce a GOOD HDR!!!

 

[The Barbarian]

Isn't this some standard?

No, the zone system is a method. You can use it in various ways. For example, although Ansel Adams used it so that the darkest spot in a photograph was pure black and the lightest spot in the photograph was pure white, you could do a high key image if you chose. ( I did learn the zone system from someone who made Adams' practice into a rule, but then every free notion eventually becomes orthodoxy for someone) The method merely allowed you to pick what the tones would look like on the negative.

I have some rules for myself, knowing what different settings are likely to do to get the look I want. But they are merely rules of thumb which I almost always adjust later to get the image exactly right.

 

[Browncoat]

HDR: Giving keyboard warriors something to whine about on photography forums since 2006.

 

[Didereaux]

HDR has its place and uses. But at present most of the HDR stuff reminds a person of what you would get if you gave a room full of 7 year olds several cans of florescent paint and walked out of the room.

 

[molested_cow]

.......what you would get if you gave a room full of 7 year olds several cans of florescent paint and walked out of the room.

Having worked with kids, I'd expect the result to be nothing short of spectacular.

 

[The Barbarian]

Having worked with kids, I'd expect the result to be nothing short of spectacular.

Precisely. I think it was Picasso who observed that all kids are great artists, but lack technique. The trick, he said, was to gain technique without losing the child.

 

[molested_cow]

Having worked with kids, I'd expect the result to be nothing short of spectacular.

Precisely. I think it was Picasso who observed that all kids are great artists, but lack technique. The trick, he said, was to gain technique without losing the child.

As a designer who has a fair share of art work, technique is over rated. I ran a program with a kindergarten and was constantly being inspired by the kids' works. It's not the colors or the crayon strokes what inspire me, it's the contents and motivations that are enlightening.

 

[dweazel]

HDR?... more like HDarrrgh. Heh heh.

Actually it don't bother me that much... no-one's putting a gun to my head to look at a picture. Like many techniques it can be way overdone but then there are times when you suspect HDR was used but you can't be sure...and for me they are the 'good' ones.

 

[gsgary]

Because it hurts my eyes when it crosses that fine line.

The reason I don't do HDR, is simply because I do not like it. Makes sense right?

I think there are good HDR photos and then there are 99% of the other HDR photos.

One, its the god awful halos.
Two, its the god awful saturation boost.
Three, its the god awful zero highlights and zero shadows and everything is just pumped out.

Examples of BAD HDR (Of course this is just my opinion)
http://www.gadventures.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Beautiful-HDR-Photography1.jpg
http://cdn.picturecorrect.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/hdr-photos2.jpg
https://static.squarespace.com/stat...1271181560273/1000w/New tractor HDR final.jpg
http://anarchyjim.digitalanarchy.com/wp-content/uploads/hdr_hate.jpg
https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7091/7278633770_d9e2847ee0_z.jpg
http://g3.img-dpreview.com/AFB07B4528284BAD9DBFB57BC79CAABF.jpg

Examples of GOOD HDR (Once again, just my opinion)
Wow, that was harder than I thought hahaha

I will agree, those are a little overdone. I thought the ones from this post were good with the exception of the clouds being funky..

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/hdr-discussions/281645-construction-vehicles.html

A turd is a turd no matter how much you polish it

 

[The Barbarian]

but then there are times when you suspect HDR was used but you can't be sure...and for me they are the 'good' ones.

For me, too. In fact, a lot of what I do, is never recognized as HDR, because I only used it to lighten up some shadows or to tone down highlights a bit. Perhaps because my only formal training in photography was in using the Zone System for B&W, I was drawn to the possibilities of HDR to adjust tonal range.

It's worth exploring:
HDR and the Zone System | Stone Rose Blog

 

[Browncoat]

Threads like this make me wonder what would happen if Ansel Adams were still alive. Clearly, he would be doing HDR photography. Would all the zealots still be so anti-HDR, or would they jump on a different bandwagon?

 

[The Barbarian]

The purists would be castigating him now, as they did then.

Zone System is Analogue HDR
http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/article_pages/guest/digital_analogue.html