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Sacred Heart HDR

I visited the beautiful Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in downtown Houston today. I took some "normal" images but I also took some bracketed exposures so I could do some HDR work with Photomatix. I am probably the only person here, or anywhere, that actually likes the overdone or overcooked effect one can achieve with that software. I like them, I think, because it reminds me of illustrations I remember seeing in storybooks when I was a little tyke. It's not real and it's not meant to look real when I do these. I know I don't use HDR imaging the way it was probably developed or intended for but that is ok. We use a lot of the same tools with very different yet desired end results. I should probably be flogged for thinking this way but who cares? A photograph does not always have to look real. We all know that. I think the ones I like the most, of those that I myself have created, are the ones that look the least real. It's an escape from real that I am usually searching for it seems and when I find it I tend to appreciate it. You can see more from today, if you desire, right here... www.pbase.com/jnewmanco1/co-cathedral You can also read more about the Co-Cathedral at www.sacredhearthouston.org
It's a beautiful place even when it looks real.
James Newman

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John Angulat

pro member
Hi James,
Don't feel alone, I'm a big fan of the unique images that Photomatix can create (so at least there's 2 of us around). I can spend hours punching up oversaturated, highly detailed images. Ok, so they're not "photos", who cares? I love the look and if it makes me happy, so be it.
The cathedral shot is amazing. Well done.
Now you've got me thinking...nothing to do tomorrow, no plans...maybe I'll shoot a church or two in Manhattan!
 

Ossi Raimi

New member
Even with non-calibrated monitor those pictures look great.
And today's photography is searching it's limits .. one way is HDR and much overdone ones. Sometimes overdone is good for pictures, sometimes not. It depends what you want to show and how you want show.
Photomatix is good HDR editor, but you can get HDR effect with only tonemapping pictures. One good tool for "only tonemapping" is Photoshop plugin called DCE tools/RE-dymamix.
 
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