HDR of a park I took not long ago.

[kenichiukiya]

Hi all, this is my first post here. I love doing HDRs and been doing them for a few months now. As with a lot of people here I don't like overcooked HDRs as well so I try to make my HDR as pleasing to the eyes as possible.

This shot is taken about 3 weeks back at a local park. It was taken with 3 exposures, and processed with Photomatix, sharpened in PS. It was real pain processing the ghosts of the leaves but I managed to pull it through somehow. What do you think of the composition and processing? Do you think it's a bit oversaturated? What more could I have done to improve the photo?



EXIF: exp 1/400; f/8.0; 28mm; ISO100; 3 brackets of +/-2.

More of my photos on my Flickr, welcome to comment and critique both on here and on Flickr
Flickr: Kenichi Ukiya's Photostream

[Vernian]

Hi, welcome to DPS.

I like the composition of this with the bridge being the leading line, the focal point and the thing that holds the two sides of the photo together. However the trees look more HDRed to me than the bridge itself (probably a result of the ghosting you mentioned, but good work on that one - I have yet to manage to get a tree nicely HDR!)

If you were going for a natural look I'd drop the saturation just a little bit, if you want an obvious HDR, then maybe do another one where the bridge is a little overdone and merge that into the photo you've got.

[Bruce A]

You know, the grass and trees at home here look just as green if not greener than in your photo. So no, I don't think it's over saturated. I like this shot with your processing. It's certainly not overdone, but the only thing I'd like to see is a bit more brightness on the bridge itself to enhance what I think is the main point of interest. But that's most likely a personal wish and not any fault in your shot. Nicely done!

[kenichiukiya]

Thank you both for the kind comments. I guess with the saturation bit it comes down to personal preference, but I'm glad you both like the picture.

Vernian, I'll try the thing about the overdone bridge that you mentioned at some point in the near future and see how it goes. Personally I liked the saturation as it is because I want to show the vibrancy that's in the park on that day. And from memory I actually didn't have too much of a problem with the trees ghosting in this photo (may be just a bit but not as much as some other ones that I've done), may be it's because the shutter speed is so quick and I took the 3 brackets back to back (Nikon D90 has a high speed continuous photos setting), and there wasn't any wind at that point of time. :P

EDIT: saw both you Flickr stream and really loving them!

[ajax_andy]

Really nicely done! You managed to keep it looking natural which a lot of people struggle with.

I like the saturation too, gives it a little more punch.

[pbailey68]

I think the composition is excellent. The degree of saturation you use should be determined by the effect you're going for. The higher the saturation the more obvious the tone mapping is, resulting in the distinctive look popularly associated with HDR. If you want a more photorealistic look, lower the saturation a bit. Personally I find the slightly more saturated look very pleasing. This is a wonderful image.