York and the Susquehanna

[Rick F.]

RM,

Thanks. HDR photography is really fascinating, although it can become a pretty good time sink. Basically you shoot three pictures at -2, 0, and +2 stops. I use a fixed aperture (usually around f5.6) and let the camera do the bracketing through different shutter speeds. Using a tripod or equivalent is a good idea, although the software will align the picture for you. Most of my pictures are taken hand-held.

You're quite right about the moving objects, such as flags, flowers, etc. If you look carefully in the picture of the St. Patrick's church, you'll see a somewhat ghost-like image behind the blue car, where an older couple was moving toward the church and another church-goer was just approaching the door. I tried taking a picture with some Pennsylvania "windmill" generators in the background. Needless to say, the impeller blades are different in each of the three shots...


The Photomatix software isn't too expensive, and you can try it for free. Also, if you decide to buy it, do a search first for a $15-off coupon. They were very common when I got the software earlier this year.

[JimVonBaden]

Rick, that is an incredible 3D effect there. Great shot, and nice editing.

Jim

[endobobdds]

Beautiful pictures and ride report! Thanks for posting. I need to get back up to that area and explore.

[RocketMan]

RM,

Thanks. HDR photography is really fascinating, although it can become a pretty good time sink. Basically you shoot three pictures at -2, 0, and +2 stops. I use a fixed aperture (usually around f5.6) and let the camera do the bracketing through different shutter speeds. Using a tripod or equivalent is a good idea, although the software will align the picture for you. Most of my pictures are taken hand-held.

You're quite right about the moving objects, such as flags, flowers, etc. If you look carefully in the picture of the St. Patrick's church, you'll see a somewhat ghost-like image behind the blue car, where an older couple was moving toward the church and another church-goer was just approaching the door. I tried taking a picture with some Pennsylvania "windmill" generators in the background. Needless to say, the impeller blades are different in each of the three shots...


The Photomatix software isn't too expensive, and you can try it for free. Also, if you decide to buy it, do a search first for a $15-off coupon. They were very common when I got the software earlier this year.

yeah, I saw the folks and figured, well its a chruch so ghosts are bound to be around somewhere close, right?

As for the windmill, why didn't you simply wait for the blades to be in the same position for each shot? Gezzz, talk about lazy photography! Ha Ha!

What's next robotic photography, send it out while you stay at home napping?

Hmmm, I wonder....????

RM

[DogHouse]

Here's the HDR section of a photography foum I belong to. Lots of good info there.
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/for ... .php?f=130

[RocketMan]

Here's the HDR section of a photography foum I belong to. Lots of good info there.
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/for ... .php?f=130

Wow, some nice stuff on there. One thing thou, I can see where folks can get carried away with the effects to the point that it is just a very colorful photo-shopped image rather than a great photo taken a step further. Photography is about WAY more than just brilliant colors; a bad photo is a bad photo no matter the Wow factor of the colors. I like Rick’s shots in the way he uses HDR to enhance the photograph rather than simply trying to rely on it give the photos a Wow factor that would otherwise be missing. Learning that sort of control is by far the hardest part of any post-processing work.

RM

[DogHouse]

Here's the HDR section of a photography foum I belong to. Lots of good info there.
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/for ... .php?f=130

Wow, some nice stuff on there. One thing thou, I can see where folks can get carried away with the effects to the point that it is just a very colorful photo-shopped image rather than a great photo taken a step further. Photography is about WAY more than just brilliant colors; a bad photo is a bad photo no matter the Wow factor of the colors. I like Rick’s shots in the way he uses HDR to enhance the photograph rather than simply trying to rely on it give the photos a Wow factor that would otherwise be missing. Learning that sort of control is by far the hardest part of any post-processing work.

RM

I agree to a certain extent. I also like the ones that look like an illustration or painting. As long as the halos are eliminated.

[RocketMan]

Here's the HDR section of a photography foum I belong to. Lots of good info there.
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/for ... .php?f=130

Wow, some nice stuff on there. One thing thou, I can see where folks can get carried away with the effects to the point that it is just a very colorful photo-shopped image rather than a great photo taken a step further. Photography is about WAY more than just brilliant colors; a bad photo is a bad photo no matter the Wow factor of the colors. I like Rick’s shots in the way he uses HDR to enhance the photograph rather than simply trying to rely on it give the photos a Wow factor that would otherwise be missing. Learning that sort of control is by far the hardest part of any post-processing work.

RM

I agree to a certain extent. I also like the ones that look like an illustration or painting. As long as the halos are eliminated.

Agreed nothing wrong with trying to ad texture or play with photos for differant effects even to the point of making them appear to be a painting or other medium or like my fake reflection, my point is you still have to start with a good image and I have seem many examples where such is used to compensate for that lack, hell I even try it myself at times but it never really works.. dang it!
RM

[DogHouse]

Here's the HDR section of a photography foum I belong to. Lots of good info there.
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/for ... .php?f=130

Wow, some nice stuff on there. One thing thou, I can see where folks can get carried away with the effects to the point that it is just a very colorful photo-shopped image rather than a great photo taken a step further. Photography is about WAY more than just brilliant colors; a bad photo is a bad photo no matter the Wow factor of the colors. I like Rick’s shots in the way he uses HDR to enhance the photograph rather than simply trying to rely on it give the photos a Wow factor that would otherwise be missing. Learning that sort of control is by far the hardest part of any post-processing work.

RM

I agree to a certain extent. I also like the ones that look like an illustration or painting. As long as the halos are eliminated.

Agreed nothing wrong with trying to ad texture or play with photos for differant effects even to the point of making them appear to be a painting or other medium or like my fake reflection, my point is you still have to start with a good image and I have seem many examples where such is used to compensate for that lack, hell I even try it myself at times but it never really works.. dang it!
RM

Absolutely right. When I worked at the Hirchhorn we had a saying about some of the art that came through there: If you can't make it good, make it big. And if you can't make it big, paint it red.

[Unity]

I get a kick out of people who get all sniffy about Photoshop and such, as if it's wrong to manipulate an image. The great art photographers have always used post-processing magic to achieve special results. Think Ansel Adams. Yes, his were superb negatives in the first place, but the darkroom work made the photographs majestic.



--John