HDR Test #2, a photo from New Jersey, Northeast

Photographer's Note

Another HDR experiment -- this one was done on the shore of the Delaware River. The river was quiet that evening but that was not the case early this summer when it flooded for the 3rd time in 1.5 years. Overbuilding in the area diverts much the runoff from heavy rains into the river. Also, upstream there are 3 reservoirs which also release water into the river when they get too full as a result of heavy rains. This thoughtlessness has had disasterous consequences for folks who live downstream.

But on that night the river was quiet and perfect for getting bracketed exposures with which to experiment with HDR. I was impressed with how it captured the sublte lighting on the trees along the bank. Once I got the effect I wanted I then used the photo software that came with my Canon to adjust the curves and this was the result.

elkab, nwoehnl, john_c, prezntime, lennarts, oochappan has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

humanist (695) 2006-09-04 14:32

Experiment = a success. WHat a dramatic scene! Great composition - but you almost don't notice with such colours....

Did you use CS2's automated HDR function? Or did you blend them yourself?

Florian88 (882) 2006-09-04 14:35

Hi Linda!
Nice sunset picture! What a great reflection of sky in the water of the river. Very nice POV and a great sharpness in this one. Wonderful how blue the clouds are. I think your experiment is succeeded. Well done, Regards Florian

Schultzy (5446) 2006-09-04 14:37

Hello Linda,
Very nice low POV, the result is very impressive.
Wonderful colors and great reflection effect in the water,
Very well done !
Peter

elkab (3780) 2006-09-04 15:06

Hi!
Very good picture, great colors, excellent light, very good quality of photo.

regards
elisabeth

fou (320) 2006-09-04 15:14

Hi Linda,

Is the sun located on the left or right side of the picture, or you have 2 of them in that area ? ;-)

Great picture.
Indeed the light in the trees, on the other side of the river is great.

TFS,

François

veve (4189) 2006-09-04 15:27

Hi Linda!
Splendid sunset!I like a lot the shape of the clouds and the reflections on the water!
A really good capture!
Congratulations!
Regards,
Veronica

Amaniman (1122) 2006-09-04 15:51

Really powerful this technic !
Le résultat est très réussi ; un coucher de soleil où les ombres ne sont pas bouchées. Bravo !

nwoehnl (122) 2006-09-04 17:29

It's a beautiful result you got, Linda. The mood with the last light of the day is beautifully transmitted, and the composition is simple yet elegant and makes a good use of reflections to amplify the color setting. Greetings from Grenoble (a short business trip to France).

Graal (103038) 2006-09-05 2:55

Hi Linda,
very pleasant landscape, good composition, nice warm colours. Good experiment. Well done photo.
Gr., Aleksander

jrj (34843) 2006-09-05 12:48

hi linda
Top result in this second HDR try. Very interesting to see the disposal/distribution of light. Beatiful result in a well disposed compo - great sucsess

capthaddock (28790) 2006-09-06 7:18

Hi Linda - I'd say the experiment worked well, what a gorgeous shot, great timing.

john_c (24666) 2006-09-07 10:45

Hi Linda,
An impressive capture, with just the right exposure level. The hues and tones are inspiring. I especially like the appearance of the sky here. It is also quite interesting how the shrubbery area in the mid right of the frame is in good light and enhances. A very fine shot for your collection.
John

prezntime (3946) 2006-09-08 6:36

Hello Linda.
You are getting the hang of this HDR technique. The photo is very dynamic and the colors captured show so well without losing the detail along those trees you mentioned. Beautiful POV.
Well done.
Chris
:) tomorrow.

scalerman (26900) 2006-09-13 13:08

I think the range of colors and tones here is spot on. I'll be reading up more on HDR. I'm a little behind on the techs. Nice picture, Linda.

anesugur (18789) 2006-10-11 12:25

Hi Linda,
Very beautiful atmosphere.
Superb light, colors and composition.
I like it very much.
Have a nice day. Uğur

dcawker (5717) 2006-10-19 9:01

Fantastic HDR work here.. Really excellent! Regards, Doug P.S. You should check out some of my HDR's, if you're at all interested of course.. :)

lennarts (547) 2007-01-11 4:58

You made me google what is HDR :)
Excellent results for your experiment - the sky looks great, the sea looks great, the shore looks great. I have only tried bracketing few times but never really managed to merge them succesfully in PS. You make me try again.

presidente (1122) 2007-03-24 4:18

If it is an experiment I can say it is a fantastic success!!
Quality of photo is ok, color are fantastic and light too.
TFS, Andrea

oochappan (4880) 2007-06-11 3:56

A dramatic sky well achieved by HDR, a good way to extend the dynamic range or the handicap of a digital, what companies doesn't give, we can still recuperate. The contrasting colors are marvellous in this well framed view with the tree aside and perspective along the border to see the light reflection in the water, well edited Linda.
greetings
Henk