HDR and rust go well together because it brings out the detail quite well. This is a nice example of it. I like the lines leading up, too.
Here is one I would like judged. I took it some weeks ago so, not sure if it qualifies.
![]()
Uploaded with
ImageShack.us
As long as it is HDR, it qualifies. I like the colorful plant in the foreground. However, think what bothers me is that parts of it are out of focus because it's so close. My person opinion is the composition might have been better if the plant were to the left of the waterfall and not directly in front of it. Whether the waterfall is out of focus or not is hard to tell. It'd be worth trying both ways sometime to see.
I like the desaturated colors in this setting. The tree and grass detail shows up well. What bothers me is the lack of a main subject. I suggest make one of the tombstones prominent with this processing allowing you to see the stone in spite of the backlight from the low sunlight.
The detail on the bulldog is very sharp, and the composition is well done. It just doesn't quite have the HDR feel to it that I've been looking for in this contest. It's still a great shot regardless.
I believe I have posted this picture before--the picture was taken late last year. I took several pictures that day but since the sun was out and the snow was soooo bright the pictures were not where I wanted them to be. I took some bracketed shots and processed the HDR in Photomatix. I ended up liking the detail in black and white more.
I remember this picture because it stood out to me when you posted it, or one very much like it if this wasn't it. The detail here is outstanding. Black and white was a good choice because it really brings out the deep shadows against the white snow.
The colors in it give it an otherworldly feel to this shot. The cloud texture details really stand out, and the orange band of color separates the plants and sky well. My only complaint is the wide angle curves the horizon a bit on the right. Sometimes that's okay, but it does bother me on this particular image.
Dead Horse Point Overlook, Utah
1/160s, f/6.3, 24mm, ISO 100
Canon Rebel T2i + 24-70mm f/2.8L USM
B&W HDR processed with Topaz Adjust 4
I should have expected to see B&W HDRs, but I was somewhat surprised by the number of them entered. The composition and detail on this one is outstanding as well. I'm going to have to disagree with use of B&W here, though. I'm not getting quite the same impact in B&W with this scene. I'd like to see a color version of this same scene, if you would like to share it.
![]()
Girona, Riu Onyar.
HDR does really well with water reflections to make them stand out. I love the colors in the buildings along the river. My complaint is something you can't directly control, though, and that's the sky. I like some "drama" in HDR shots with sky. Take this picture again with clouds to provide textures in the sky and reflected in the water.
I haven't seen many HDR macro shots before. In fact, it never occurred to me to do it myself. This is very well done on both accounts.
This is the first HDR that goes "heavy" on the processing. I have nothing against it, and sometimes it just "works" for a scene. It doesn't bother me here, but what does is the wires and parking lot in the foreground. I would have liked to see more of the tall building on the left, and start the bottom of the frame just above the parking lot. That would make the building the main subject as it towered over the rest of the town.
This is another HDR on the "heavy" side. The building comes out well, and I like the high saturation of colors. The sky here looks a unevenly lit to me, though. It seems to me it should be brighter above the building, especially with how bright it is near the building.
This is the only HDR I have - but I love supporting the contest - so here goes....
This almost doesn't look like an HDR to me. Normally people done in HDR look unrealistic and over detailed, but that isn't the case here. I didn't expect a portrait in HDR in this contest, either, but here is one and a good one at that. Was this with multiple exposures or a single one processed with differing EV's?
Glad to see you posting images again! I like the perspective and treatment on this one. I hope you didn't hurt your neck trying to take this one. (I love my 60d's swivel screen for unusual angle shots.)
You did a pretty good job processing if this is your first one. A minor problem is the horizon appears a bit tilted, and that's an quick and easy fix. I would like to see something else in the picture besides just the water and sky, though, and that is a bit tougher to come across by chance. Is there a pier, or boat/ship or rocks you can include to give something for the eye to focus on in the water?
I like how the orange of the engine really stands out from the background. I recommend cropping (or retaking if possible) so the car on the left is out of the frame because it is a distraction to me. Also your horizon appears tilted (easy to fix).
Thought this would make everyone cooler in the middle of summer. Took this last winter at Quabbin Reservoir in Western Mass. My first attempt in HDR and it will not be my last one
(No quoted image available) Ice coated landscape is a good scene for HDR. It seems this image is a bit fuzzy and not as sharp as it should be. If you didn't use a tripod, make sure you use one for HDR whenever possible so the camera doesn't move between exposures. Thanks for cooling me off, though.
Looking out my window in Toronto, Ontario. This was a pretty early attempt at HDR using a Canon G9.
(No quoted image available) This is similar to the farmland sunset, except it uses buildings in place of plants. In this one the lack of a focal point is a problem because the buildings don't provide the same kind of texture pattern that the rows of plants do. With a good subject a sky like this make a great backdrop for an HDR.
I wish I had landscape like that near me (I have one lake with one mountain really close, though). I wish there was more color in the landscape in this picture, too. I realize the reason is the season. This is a case where B&W might have made a better image because of the lack of colors. I'd also like to see this shot in the fall when the tree colors are out on those mountains. If you can get lucky enough to have a no wind day and get the color reflected in the lake, that would even be better!
Montezuma's Well, Sedona, AZ
This looks like a spot that has lots of places you could experiment with lots of different perspectives. This composition is well divided between the water, cliff and sky, and HDR lets it all show well. I like that the water is green to compliment the blue sky, too. I think a slight cropping to cut out the branches on the left would improve this shot. Try cropping so the tree on the left balances the sunlit rocks on the right.
OMG its soooo bad its great!!Click and enlarge... every hair and pore is horrific
(No quoted image available - you may be thankful...) I'm speechless... Thanks for the laugh!
I haven't managed to get the camera out for ages but I quite wanted to have a go at this.
![]()
Death_HDR - Version 2 by
Tracheotomy Bob, on Flickr
See, I'm just going to have to try a macro HDR myself now. The shadows are certainly appropriate for the picture, and I like it a lot. This doesn't quite feel like an HDR to me, though. I think the strong shadows on the toy give it the impression of "not HDR" since it is so subtle.
This has been posted before, but I haven't processed any HDRs in a loooong time.
Kilmorich Church in Argyll.
This is the kind of sky I like to see in an HDR landscape. There's a strong subject with the church, and the HDR treatment brings out the details well. I don't mind the wide angle distortion of the tower here, either.
April Point on Quadra Island in British Columbia.
Here's another pretty lake scene. The composition works well with the lines on the shore and dock (?) pointing out into the center of the lake. My only complaint is that it is overall a bit too dark. I'd like to see the shore and sky a bit brighter to bring out the details there, too.
![]()
Mt Hood by
mackmgg, on Flickr
This is well timed with the cloud centered above the mountain. I see nothing wrong with the image, but unfortunately it just lacks the overall impact of some of the other contenders.
Winnekenni Castle is part of a town-owned park in Haverhill, MA. This HDR was made from 13 different shots, from ev -1.0 to ev +2.67.
It was a gorgeous day, with not a cloud in sight. However, it was "Kings and Queens Day" for tiny tots. It took almost an hour to shoot, because people with their kids kept wandering in and out and around. The brightly colored objects in the foreground are rocking chairs for the toddlers. Somehow they didn't get used or moved during the whole time!
ISO 400, 38 mm, f/5.59, 1/600
13 shots!?! That's a lot for an HDR. I usually only do 3 myself, and the most I've heard of is 9 in a single frame, unless it is a panorama HDR with multiple frames to stitch together, too. You did very well with putting it together. Everything is sharp and well detailed. This castle is a great subject. I love the little chairs in front, too. However... not a cloud in the sky is not quite as "gorgeous" for photography as it is for being out and about. Drama in the sky makes a good photograph better (though some people may disagree or not care). Since I have to judge, then I have to go with what I like.
Since a contest must have winners, here they are. I've also decided to pick the top 3 from different types of images, since we have strong contenders of different types of images.
1) SonicChronicler - I feel this landscape is the best one of the bunch, and it stood out to me the most of the top 3. Well done!
2) emorydunn - As I said, great use of HDR to bring out the details.
3) runisd - Thank you for showing me a macro HDR, and a well done one at that. The details are great in yours.
Honorable mention to Chappers for proving you can do an HDR portrait that doesn't make the person look bad.
