Reading mode: Light Dark

I Love HDR, not sure why most here dont.

Go to last post
C

CarpeNoctem

Active member
Messages
87
Reaction score
0
All HDR images that are posted around here get totally blasted. I love HDR. All forms of it, from the ridiculous to the subdued. Although I'd rather see an HDR image that looks "HDRed' than not.

Some random HDRs that i find pleasing.











 
Pure taste really, I don't mind the subtle HDR effect.

Nice images..

Have to say, HDR to me, means losing a very important part of a photograph, shadows...so I tend to dislike it mostly. But, not always.
 
Those look like stills taken from an early 80s or late 70s pop videos, when the special effects industry was still in its infancy. To me they are very garish and unrealistic. I would even go so far as to say they are rather unpleasant.

These are just my personal feelings though, which is what you were asking for :-)

Nick
 
I don't know why anyone would "blast" them. They're not unpleasant to look at, even though they're not my cup of tea.

They remind me of Thomas Kincaid paintings:



 
Although a lot of the HDR shots posted here are first attempts and or not that interesting composition wise. Your shots are astounding. I particularly love the tow truck shot! For those who say HDR is unrealistic, well, that's nothing new to photography. Not only that, but HRD doesn't have to be unrealistic. Plus HDR is infinitely better than the trend for overexposure and blown highlights - that is just nothing more than sloppy photography trying to pass itself off as art.

Funny thing is, the paintings I like best, look like photos. The photos I like best look like paintings ;-)

Here's a couple of mine - one over the top, and one not so obvious





--
Some cool cats that can use your help
http://www.wildlife-sanctuary.org

Even if you can't donate, please help spread the word.
 
I think a lot of HDR photos are so overcooked that they start to look more like paintings than photographs, but these were done quite well.

I have nothing for or against HDR. It's just one more tool that can be used well or used badly... like any other tool.
 
Honestly, these shots are examples of why many don't like HDR. It may be a good look for some, but sorry these are not working at all.

I think a poster above said it best with the Thomas Kincad reference, and his paintings should be hung with the back of the canvas pointing outward.

I am curious what about this look you find appealing?
 
It seems to me that, at its best, HDR treatment should not be visible as such, at least not at first glance for the average person.

Oh well, that is just my opinion and I'm willing to agree with anyone who has a different or even opposite opinion because, after all, anyone's bad taste is as good as mine.
 
LeRentier said:
It seems to me that, at its best, HDR treatment should not be visible
as such, at least not at first glance for the average person.
Click to expand...
This sums up my view too. Most HDR images look excessive, and over-processed. The techniques used are very heavy-handed and obvious.

The HDR effect (in my opinion) should be fairly subtle, so that the image still looks natural and real, despite a certain surreal quality - as though you'd had the good fortune to shoot in extremely unsual light.

The other thing is - HDR (the way most photographers implement it) is a complete misnomer. Most 'HDR' images are not High Dynamic Range at all. They're actually the opposite; every extreme is reduced or increased to a mid-tone.

J M Hughes
 
James M Hughes said:
LeRentier said:
It seems to me that, at its best, HDR treatment should not be visible
as such, at least not at first glance for the average person.
Click to expand...
This sums up my view too. Most HDR images look excessive, and
over-processed. The techniques used are very heavy-handed and obvious.
The HDR effect (in my opinion) should be fairly subtle, so that the
image still looks natural and real, despite a certain surreal quality
  • as though you'd had the good fortune to shoot in extremely unsual
light.
The other thing is - HDR (the way most photographers implement it) is
a complete misnomer. Most 'HDR' images are not High Dynamic Range at
all. They're actually the opposite; every extreme is reduced or
increased to a mid-tone.
Click to expand...
Have to agree..

People should feel free to do what they like, if the HDR look is what they want fire away.

But many folks dislike the intense "render" look, you often get. It looks fake, and plastic at times..some can look pretty good, if it's not obvious HDR has been done.

Most HDR work is more digital art, than photography, IMO..
 
so it's pointless to try to question why others don't like or use HDR. Your photos are not what I envision as "High Dynamic Range", rather you've created a surreal look to your shots that not everyone likes using an offshoot of the HDR process. I've seen HDR images that are spectacular in their detail in both highlight and shadow while still maintaining a sense of reality. So, if you are really looking for opinions ... I don't like what you've done to your images.
 
Sorry, these all remind me of cheap postcards.

BTW, the links appear to be to the images of other photographers. I don't know about others on the forums, but I wouldn't do that without specifically acknowledging the photographers. They would probably be very pleased that you admire their work, but they would probably like to be acknowledged also.

--
**** Thomas
Kalamazoo, MI
 
--

the real use of HDR is to keep the bright areas from washing out and to save detail in the dark areas, most people use it to make a photo look like a painting, not saying it is wrong, just saying.
 
.. because it's dramatic. I use HDR to even out the exposure where a very dark shadow or blown highlight would leave out an important detail in the picture.

I also shoot RAW which enables me to pull quite a lot of detail from shadows using a histogram adjustment whilst retaining highlight detail. But that's just me.

--
It's an L of a life, this photography lark

http://www.freelancephotographic.net/
 
The images I posted are not mine. I wish they were lol. I just google imaged HDR and posted some that I like.

Once again, the images in the OP are NOT mine.

As for the comments so far:

I am a digital artist and do a GREAT majority of my work in photoshop. I am just recently getting into photography. I guess that explains my love of HDR images.

I could do some pretty wicked stuff with photoshop but once the world of HDR images was revealed to me, i wanted to do that. Instead of creating something from nothing like usual, I could use my own photographs to make some pretty amazing works of art ( or will eventually).
 
CarpeNoctem said:
The images I posted are not mine. I wish they were lol. I just google
imaged HDR and posted some that I like.

Once again, the images in the OP are NOT mine.

As for the comments so far:

I am a digital artist and do a GREAT majority of my work in
photoshop. I am just recently getting into photography. I guess that
explains my love of HDR images.

I could do some pretty wicked stuff with photoshop but once the world
of HDR images was revealed to me, i wanted to do that. Instead of
creating something from nothing like usual, I could use my own
photographs to make some pretty amazing works of art ( or will
eventually).
Click to expand...
--I dont understand why some say its not photography, its just another tool we have to get the image. Anything goes. That said I like a more realistic look. I try to make a picture look like the eye sees it. This picture as a straight shot had dark shadows with little detail. HDR & tone mapping brought out the shadows & cloud detail much better that any single shot could.



Brian Schneider

 
Brian D. Schneider said:
--I dont understand why some say its not photography, its just
another tool we have to get the image. Anything goes. That said I
like a more realistic look. I try to make a picture look like the eye
sees it. This picture as a straight shot had dark shadows with little
detail. HDR & tone mapping brought out the shadows & cloud detail
much better that any single shot could.

Click to expand...
While I agree up to a point about 'Anything Goes', there are too many ordinary images that have had excessive HDR applied to try and make them look more interesting. After a while, they all look very boring and 'samey'.

For me, Brian's image is a good example of HDR manipulation - very natural looking. HDR has been used to enhance an image, not create one

J M Hughes
 
Some (me) love well done street photography, others really dislike it. Without going into an argument of the merits of street photography, my experience is that HD images - when obviously done - appeal to some but not others. I like some images but not others, but then I feel the same about B&W and Sepia.
--
Rationally I have no hope, irrationally I believe in miracles.
Joni Mitchell
 
James M Hughes said:
Brian D. Schneider said:
--I dont understand why some say its not photography, its just
another tool we have to get the image. Anything goes. That said I
like a more realistic look. I try to make a picture look like the eye
sees it. This picture as a straight shot had dark shadows with little
detail. HDR & tone mapping brought out the shadows & cloud detail
much better that any single shot could.

Click to expand...
While I agree up to a point about 'Anything Goes', there are too many
ordinary images that have had excessive HDR applied to try and make
them look more interesting. After a while, they all look very boring
and 'samey'.
For me, Brian's image is a good example of HDR manipulation - very
natural looking. HDR has been used to enhance an image, not create one

J M Hughes
Click to expand...
--Thanks, thats my aim, I have done my share of wild ones but you can get tired of that pretty fast.
Brian Schneider

 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

G
Lightroom Classic: Selecting Bracketed photos for HDR Merge
Replies
0
Views
3K
GinAZ
G
J
HDR on the X2Dii
Replies
16
Views
3K
Jared Willson
J
M
RX100 VII HDR Bracketing with darktable
Replies
15
Views
3K
sludge21017
sludge21017
Birddogman
** Mini Challenge #773 ** Post-Processing
2
Replies
33
Views
4K
elliottnewcomb
E
Dick Dastardly
Computational, AI and gibberish
Replies
17
Views
850
Mark S Abeln
Mark S Abeln

Keyboard shortcuts

f
Forum
m
My threads
Mobile site
About
Editorial content
Cameras & Lenses
Community
All content, design, and layout are Copyright © 1998–2025 Digital Photography Review All Rights Reserved.
Reproduction in whole or part in any form or medium without specific written permission is prohibited.
When you use DPReview links to buy products, the site may earn a commission.
©GPS Media - Guides, Products, Services.
Back
Top