tribute to Craig, a photo from Ticino, East

Photographer's Note

Until recently I was very sceptic about the techique of HDR photography, I always thoutht it to unnatural and more appropriate to fast food sharing sites like Instagram. Then came along Craig (mcjake) with his wonderful naturally HDR photos. This convinced me to give the technique a try.
Here is my first attempt at it. It is the Santuario della Madonna del Sasso . The church is towering high above the Lago di Maggiore and the city of Locarno. The church is highly adorned and sports several life size scenes with statues of biblical scenes. It was built in 1480 after a monk had the vision of the virgin Mary apearing to him.The church is reachable by a funicular from the centre of Locarno.

dta, macjake, bayno, elenimavrandoni, Kofman, kasianowak, timecapturer, saxo042, SnapRJW, jhm, adores, LAPIAZ, Hansaphotos, chrislo has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

dta (51454) 2013-01-07 11:49

Salut Daniel ,
HDR ou pas , finalement , peu importe . Seul compte le résultat , comme ici la vue de cette belle église superbement éclairée , contrastant avec son arrière plan lacustre .
Amicalement

fanni (13868) 2013-01-07 11:54

Hello Daniel,
so, this is what the place looks like in WINTER - in January?? Great!:) it looks pretty warm, and I see lots of green trees!
beautiful view, I like the composition and POV: it's very nice to see a little of everything in the picture - mountains, lake, buildings and trees :)
In my opinion, your try to create a HDR photo was pretty successful. The picture looks very natural!

greetings from cold cloudy Stockholm,
Elena

macjake (39235) 2013-01-07 14:20

Hi Daniel
thanks so much my friend, I really appreciate your comments.
Like you, almost everyone i know here on TE had a very negative outlook about HDR. I wanted to post more and more HDR shots to prove a point i guess, to show the te crowd that HDR can be done smoothly and without that freaky look.
So hearing your comments really makes me happy!
Thanks man!

As for the photo itself, you know its a great HDR when you can't really even tell that its HDR, just like this one.

I find skylines are the most difficult part of HDR, so its a good idea to leave out a large portion of it here, but it still looks fine.

Also, good work with the trees and branches, another hard area to execute with HDR.

excellent roof details, and the lighting is smart looking with shadows and brightness.

thanks again!!
cheers
craig

[2]

emka (58152) 2013-01-07 15:49

Hi Daniel, your first attempt of HDR and so successful. I like Hdr technique when it is used proprly and the photo still looks natural but the light is better. I like this one very much, the church is in wonderful light, colour of water is very beautiful, nice bluish mountains in by. Lovely shot, congratulations!
Warm regards
Malgo

bayno (16209) 2013-01-08 0:25

Ciao Daniel,
in the last mounth i try also to do some axperiment with HDR...so many chance and different way...here i like the result is very natural and with clear details also in the shadows...nice framing and beautiful colors...
regards,
Valter

elenimavrandoni (5789) 2013-01-08 1:56

Hello Daniel, it feels so good when you try something new and it works!Learning from the best, you become the best! This is a beautiful picture, lovely picturesque, great mountains, light, colors, contrast and great sharoness!
Thanks to Craig for showing you something new and thank you for sharing!
Best regards,
Eleni

dkmurphys (36819) 2013-01-08 4:57

Hi Daniel,
Very fine capture, an attractive panoramic image of the wonderful place. Good colors, well taken.

Daniel

kasianowak (2255) 2013-01-08 6:10

Hi Daniel
Lovely colours and a good example of an HDR shot which is NOT overdone - there are too many of those around. This is great. Well done and I hope you use this technique more often. :)
Szczesliwego Nowego Roku (that's Happy New Year). :)
Kasia

timecapturer (30334) 2013-01-08 8:07

Hi Daniel
yes HDR has evolved since the first images hit our screens and this is a fine example of how it can enhance and create an image of real beauty. Excellent PP that I am sure Craig would be proud of too. Magnificent!

Regards - Brian.

ACL1978 (5783) 2013-01-08 14:51

Great shot, Daniel, and much like with Craig's, had you not mentioned it was HDR I wouldn't have guessed. Nice natural tones and shadows with good detail throughout. I've tried HDR a couple times with mixed effect... maybe I'll give it another go.

Andrew

npecanhuk (53909) 2013-01-08 15:04

Hello Daniel!
Wonderful place!
Beautiful picture!
Sharpness, exposure, colors, chosen pov and composition really pleased me!
TFS - congrats,
Cheers,
Neyvan

saxo042 (31802) 2013-01-09 6:20

Hi Daniel,
A marvellous landscape view and a very good depth. The foreground church is beautiful, both in architecture and in colours. Excellent!
Kind regards
Gunnar

SnapRJW (18752) 2013-01-09 21:28

Hello Daniel - I too have a pet hate of HDR photography. I have seen so many shots where the beauty of the original scene has been lost due to excessive processing. But handled delicately, I do think the results can be excellent. You seem to have managed the process well and I see no sign of over processing at all. This is a lovely shot with the church bathed in attractive light and standing out against a very lovely backcloth.
My warmest wishes to you and your loved ones for 2013. Rosemary

jhm (122458) 2013-01-10 3:37

Hello Daniel,

With HDR is totally nothing wrong, when you used the right technic.
I trying always my camera set with the appropriate colors, this is the best method, but not easy.
I've looked all three your picture , your last is the best.
Lovely colors, excellent captured also nice composition.
Very well done, TFS.

Best regards,
John.

eldancer1 (17064) 2013-01-12 9:21

Beautiful landscape! Nicely captured with good lighting and dof with nice details. You did a wonderful HDR job. Wonderful colors. Well done, tfs.

adores (28218) 2013-01-13 16:19

Hi Daniel!
Good try:)! The pov is perfect to watch such place and I like the composition. It seems more like a pring shot - the sunlight on the facade is very good!

LAPIAZ (3048) 2013-02-07 10:51

Hi Daniel :-)
A perfect compositon ! I love the light and the differents parts of the image, the church, the lake and the mountain make a so rich composition !!
Best regards,
Annabelle

Hansaphotos (5433) 2013-02-09 2:12

Hello Daniel

I think Craig is absolutely right here: "you know its a great HDR when you can`t really even tell that its HDR". Congratulations with your first attempt with this technique! You found a very good, high vantage point to show us this beautiful building and the stunning scenery surrounding it. Fine lighting and nice balance between the different elements of the composition. Bravo:) TFS. Have a nice weekend.

Best regards, Erling

chrislo (2173) 2013-03-27 13:56

Hello Daniel,
What a setting ! The POV is superb and increases the depth of field of your composition. I like how the off-centered church opens the view to the lake and the city below. Beautiful contrast between the yellow lit church and the darker background. A wonderful place very well rendered.
Kind regards,
Christian