Sakuragicho, Yokohama (Japan)

[wisemanleo]

I took this shot during a recent trip to Japan, and I enjoyed what I saw in this scene. There's lots of interesting geometry, mix of colors, and the clouds were just perfect. Originally, my intention was to just use HDR to fix the blown-out sky in the left side of the picture and bring out more detail in the buildings. Turns out that I went a little bit overboard, and turned it almost into an almost cartoon-like image. Anyways, I'm still quiet new at this and I hope to use this thread as an opportunity to refine my style.

Before:


After:


Process:
5 exposures from -4 to +4 using a single raw file, tone mapped in photomatix, played with the sliders a bit until I got the look I wanted. I then imported the image back into Lightroom for some more contrast/saturation/light curve adjustments.

Feel free to make any suggestions!

[Quo Fan]

I like using the term "Artist's Rendering". That's what it looks like to me.

If you were going for a more "realistic" look, then I would tone it down a little. There are halos around the buildings.

[wisemanleo]

I was definitely going for an artistic look, and I think the term "artist's rendition" is very fitting for the scene (given the sight of construction and cranes).

I had a bit of trouble getting rid of the halos

[prince]

The final image surely looks artistic. It is vey easy to go overboard with HDR, especially when you are new. I am having similar issues. If you look at this image, it looks very artistic (may be too much), but then I tried to be a bit subtle in this one.

[wisemanleo]

It's really easy to go overboard, indeed! I fully realize that, but at the same time, the overboard line is hard to define. It's what one makes of the technique, I suppose.

It's also a bit hard to compare the two images you've linked. Both are fantastic. I don't think one could make a "surreal" image out of the mountain landscape you've photographed. A subtle look definitely suits that particular shot better

[prince]

Thanks for your comments. It is indeed a personal taste and each image has to be treated individually. Like people, photos have different personalities

[wisemanleo]

Exactly!

[HockeyFan]

Outstanding results. I like the HDR (curious how typical it is to see shots from -4 to +4?, but it certainly works here).
I like the architecture too. There is a lot of interest in what otherwise might be thought of as just a few buildings.

[wisemanleo]

Glad you like it!!

In what cases would one use exposure ranges other than (-4,+4)? It seems to be pretty robust. I suppose for portrait or people HDR images, more exposures might be beneficial to extract greater detail?