A try at HDR, please critique:

[milosh]

Hello everyone,

This is an HDR (sort of) photo combined out of three different files processed from a single raw file. I combined them and masked them in PS. It was shot at sunset. What do you think of it? The composition, and the tones, is it too dark? Do the rocks look too unnatural? And what about water colour? What do you think about this image, do you find it pleasing at all? Thanks for looking.


P.S. I can't attach a photo with this thread, every time I try to, I get some upload error saying This is not a valid image file! What is this? The image is in jpeg, 800 pix. on the longest side, sRGB, and around 200 kb.

I'm gonna post the thread without it and then try to edit the post.

Edit: Still not working.

[Photologyst]

Hello Milosh:

If you are a Flickr member all that you have to do is hit “share this photo” in Flickr and then “Grab the HTML/BBCode” and copy into your post here on this site.

[milosh]

Thanks. I am a Flickr user but I don't want to host this photo on Flickr since it is not finished. Gonna upload it to my Webshots account and embed it from there.

I just tried to attach it here once more and had no success.

So, here it is:



And here's a link to full res. (800x533):
http://image82.webshots.com/182/5/34...5tpNqLz_ph.jpg

[Photologyst]

Doesn't look much like an HDR to me. Not much range.

It seems to need a lot of processing to make it interesting , Milosh.

[BigFuzzy]

Originally Posted by Photologyst

Doesn't look much like an HDR to me. Not much range.

It seems to need a lot of processing to make it interesting , Milosh.

Sorry about that Milosh.. normally people actually say something more in terms of HOW it can be made better instead of just saying "i think it sucks, do better"... when I get a second I'll try to actually be constructive. We're not all that way here.

[bearly]

hi milosh,
first i'd like to say that overall i like it. the colors are nice, and i like the haziness in front of those mountains. i agree that it doesn't really look like an HDR image, but i'm not saying that as a bad thing, because for the most part i don't like it when a photo looks like HDR. the overdone, unnatural look kinda freaks me out, so i commend you on not doing that.

I think the lightness of the rocks on the left side is nice... it gives enough detail in the foreground to add some interest but isn't light enough to make it look radioactive. i do wonder why the bit of land/tree in the lower right is completely black... that looks a little odd to me, considering that the rest of the image has at least some detail in it. i would say that it would be better if either that bit had more detail, or if the rocks were also a silhouette, but having it part detailed and part silhouetted throws it off a bit.

i like the color of the water... it gives the feel of brilliantly clear blue tropical water without actually shouting BLUE at you.

as for composition, i personally would have preferred either more of the dock or having it cropped out entirely. i feel as though that tiny nub of dock at the bottom center looks accidental, as though you thought you weren't going to see any of it, but you ended up catching some in the frame anyway.

anywho, well done and happy shooting

[milosh]

Originally Posted by BigFuzzy

Sorry about that Milosh.. normally people actually say something more in terms of HOW it can be made better instead of just saying "i think it sucks, do better"... when I get a second I'll try to actually be constructive. We're not all that way here.

Thanks Mr. Big, thank God I'm not easily put off by comments like this.
That's why this section of forum is called Critique and not Criticism. There's a big difference: Critique - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Originally Posted by bearly

hi milosh,
first i'd like to say that overall i like it. the colors are nice, and i like the haziness in front of those mountains. i agree that it doesn't really look like an HDR image, but i'm not saying that as a bad thing, because for the most part i don't like it when a photo looks like HDR. the overdone, unnatural look kinda freaks me out, so i commend you on not doing that.

I think the lightness of the rocks on the left side is nice... it gives enough detail in the foreground to add some interest but isn't light enough to make it look radioactive. i do wonder why the bit of land/tree in the lower right is completely black... that looks a little odd to me, considering that the rest of the image has at least some detail in it. i would say that it would be better if either that bit had more detail, or if the rocks were also a silhouette, but having it part detailed and part silhouetted throws it off a bit.

i like the color of the water... it gives the feel of brilliantly clear blue tropical water without actually shouting BLUE at you.

As for composition, i personally would have preferred either more of the dock or having it cropped out entirely. i feel as though that tiny nub of dock at the bottom center looks accidental, as though you thought you weren't going to see any of it, but you ended up catching some in the frame anyway.

anywho, well done and happy shooting

Thank you bearly for your thorough and constructive critique.

Although it is an HDR, it is not supposed to look like one. I my self also don't like that fake look that most HDRs have. I used the technique only to depict the scene as it was, seen by human eyes. Maybe it isn't obvious, but it was needed, since the contrast between the sky and the sea and especially the rocks was too great for a single exposure.

I totally agree that there is no reason the foreground leaves should be black, just didn't think about it before.

As for the tiny part of dock in the lower part, I felt I need something to be there, to give a sense of foreground (if you understand what I mean).

I'm just not satisfied enough with this image, too much work and it's kinda long shot to make it good. I'll give it a tweak or two more but I won't be bothering too much with it. Thanks once again.

[Photologyst]

Hi Milosh:

Just wondering what program you are using for the composite? I really like Photomatix Pro: HDR photo software & plugin for Lightroom, Aperture & Photoshop - Tone Mapping, Exposure Fusion & HDR Imaging for photography

The pictures do not look bizarre and putting them together is a snap.

If you want others to work the HD then you have to post all of the exposures.

[milosh]

As said in the first post, these were combined using PS (Photoshop). I also use Photomatix but it was not possible to use it for this one, because the three files created from a single raw file didn't have exposure info embeded and trying to input it manualy didn't produce the results I wanted.

Btw, you have to work very hard in Photomatix to create an HDR which doesn't look fake. Here are a couple of mine:

[Razordance]

In general, I like the shot. I agree that it doesn't look HDR, which isn't a negative thing. I really like the colours in the sky and the water. If it had been me, I think I would have tried to get a shot without the boat, dock and land on the right hand side, and gone with just the rocks on the left and in the background. That's just me though... I always think why spoil nature with something manmade... Good work...