HDR Sunset

Took this picture about 1am. This is my first HDR picture made of the 3 pictures with different exposures (-2 0 2). This HDR picture was made in Photoshop CS3.

I would really appreciate some comments and criticism on this picture.

Snoopy
http://www.flickr.com/franzel

Why HDR? Sunsets usualy need a lot of contrast to make them pop. HDR takes that away.

Morris
--



http://qcpages.qc.cuny.edu/~morris/POD

HDR can help tame the broad DR of a particular scene. Re-introducing contrast, if lost, should be part of the post blending process - as is called for.

--
...Bob, NYC

Galleries: http://www.pbase.com/btullis

I like the exposure result.

I always look at an empty expanse of sky and wonder if less or more of it is helpful. Here, I'd say 1/2 of the blue could have been cut out (it's not of great interest or contribution), and more of the f/g rocks (which came out quite nicely) could have been featured. But that's a judgement call, not necessarily yours. And it's being picky.

Nice going, overall.

--
...Bob, NYC

Galleries: http://www.pbase.com/btullis

Thank you Bob for your comments, I will try to make some adjustments to the picture and post it here.

I really appreciate your time in commenting on my picture. Comments like these will help me develop in photography.

Snoopy
http://www.flickr.com/franzel

New picture in reply

Made some adjustments on the picture based on some tips I got, cropped the sky a little and added some contrast and adjusted the stones a little

Snoopy
http://www.flickr.com/franzel

I thinik it has some nice potential... but what software are you tonemapping in?
It certainly can increase everything with tonemapping, contrast, colors...
or are you NOT tonemapping?

What disturbs me is the inevitable movement of the water, which holds a different form from natural moving in all images exposed, and when mixed in to one final picture. merge into what I cannot for my life feel is water, but rather some kind of enormous cotton-blanket and which destroys the feel of true natuire to me...

I think that images like these should not be made HDR from different exposures, but rather from one single RAW-file, in order to keep the form of the minute waves and other moving things...
Water should be water, and not cotton...

A top notch HDR-software, with internal tonemapping is found at http://www.mediachance.com
Its excellent.

--
Online Gallery: http://www.lillastudiosvea.se
Holy Cows makes the Best Hamburgers.
and one may make fantastic stop-motion films when they turn them over...