Mason Temple HDR

[isingleton]

Nikon D300
Nikon 17-55 2.8
ISO 200


Here is the link to the orginal photo - http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2328/2372108139_97fc9120f7_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3022/2372095283_d6028daafb.jpg

[Lurch]

Nice processing, certainly added some pop :)

[Matthew James Norman]

Nice sky, my friend. Nice sky.

[dlaf]

No expert here, but I absolutely love this look! Did you use the special HDR software?


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3022/2372095283_d6028daafb.jpg

[shawngrimes]

I agree...this is great PP work. Give us some insight to how you accomplished it.

[periwinkle]

The only thing I didn't like was the sign that you can do nothing about. The sky is amazing and the lines of the buildings look really great!

[dlaf]

The only thing I didn't like was the sign that you can do nothing about. The sky is amazing and the lines of the buildings look really great!

Interesting...I love the sign and think it helps make the shot. I like the retro look of the neon, I guess. Viva la difference!

[ladytx]

Great job on the processing. Many hdr's have a stormy sky look but this one is great.

[Smitty]

I'm dying to know how you got the sky like that - especially after looking at the original!

Was it always there and brought out through some heavy curves manipulation?

[Alex168]

is this Photomatix/PS/ some other software HDR:ing or what?

[jsanders]

Loks very nice. But can you try to get the horizon straight (put the buildings straight)? I think it will come out much nicer.
Here is some tutorial on how to do it.
http://www.adidap.com/2006/11/20/photoshop-tutorial-straightening-the-horizon/

[miles]

Great work!

[Natalie B]

Stunning! Thanks for sharing!

[diesel]

don't like the roadside sign, the one above the portals is much more in keeping with the building. great shot though. the revamped sky is enough to frighten the devil out of most lost souls! nice work.

[SarahN]

The sign for me is distracting as well, but it is a beautiful HDR image.

[rlarose]

Really looks fantastic. That is a nice job!

[Pshorten]

Nice sky but I'm not sure the rest of the composition is all that strong.

[GEli]

I'll hop in and disagree with you all just to be mean. Well, it's actually because I dislike the strong processed look this HDR has, but more on that later.

The first and arguably least subjective of my complaints is the sky. Why does the entire thing, including the clouds, turn blue as you move out from the centre to the edges of the frame? That really needs to be fixed - even if you didn't actually apply this effect, it looks like some sort of radial blue gradient was added at 50% opacity, and it really ruins those pretty clouds.

Composition wise it's a bit bland. Eye-level view of a moderately interesting building as you walk down the sidewalk is a rather dull way to examine such a building. All the buildings in the frame also blend together, taking away from the one good looking building and mixing it with its ugly neighbours.

My next point is that the whole image has taken on that queer "overdone-HDR" effect you get when you process the image too heavily and lose all your shadows. Looking at the original image, though, I think your problem may be that the light was terrifically dull and overcast in the initial shot - and though your PP saved the sky, you can't create dramatic lighting from nothing, and your attempts to do it in this case have turned the shot into an oil painting.

Now, some like this effect. I really don't. My favourite HDRs are good photos first and impressive HDRs second - in this case, it's all the latter.

[jtip57]

Fantastic!!!!!!!!! How did you get the phone/power lines out of the picture? Love It!

[annfrau]

great processing, the sky looks awesome! I would have loved to see the building a tiny bit darker, but that's only my opinion

:-)

[i_luv_ph0tos]

how do you put that kind of sky?... the orig. pic doesn't have any