Escapism

Wyre Wreck #2

13 Jul, 2010

It's currently a little to hot and humid for outdoor photography in Dubai so I have been looking though some old unprocessed shots. I just submitted one for Game 7 of Photoshop Tennis this coming week and also spotted this one which I took in April whilst on some 1-2-1 training with David Nightingale at the Wyre Estuary. You can read more about the location by viewing my previous shot of the Wyre Wreck #1.

Both shots are HDR's and when you mouse over the original below you will see why I chose this method of processing. I processed Wyre Wreck #1 using Photoshops HDR function and this one was processed using Photomatix Pro. I used Photomatix as I find it more intuitive to use, however I think in hindsight that Photoshop produced more natural results. As my aim was to produce as natural an image as possible I ended up using the HDR sky from 7 exposures and then blended back into the image part of the boat from the and all of the ground from the metered exposure. I suspect that if I had used Photoshops HDR function I could probably have saved a lot of effort.

Prior to my training with David I used to shoot a lot of HDR images as I found it was the only way to "save" a lot of images shot in unfavorable lighting conditions. I always tried to use the technique to produce natural looking images unlike the bulk of what people perceive as HDR stereotypically as I have always disliked the more artistic style of this method. However since my training I have been using what I learnt from David to try and shoot to process single exposures in such conditions and as a result I am slightly out of practice with HDR's. Since my break from HDR images I have also started to dislike HDR images in general and I struggled with processing this image as a result. However, even though I now feel this way towards HDR I do believe that HDR still has a value as it compliments certain subjects such as old rusty objects and also provides an easier and sometimes even more natural alternative to blending multiple exposures together to capture the full dynamic range of a scene and as such I feel that without using the technique it would not have been possible for me to produce this shot...

What are your views on HDR as a technique and what is your perception of it...?

(EXIF: Nikon D3s • 24-70mm f/2.8 • 24mm • f/8 • HDR • AP • ISO 200)