Cabin and HDR

[James Newman]

I just can't seem to pick one topic or technique and stick with it. I know I probably should focus a little more sharply on something but everything I see interests me to the point of wanting to try it out. I have recently started trying some HDR images and just wanted a bit of feedback from the people here that know the technique. I know I can get better and it will take more time and expertise in the post-processing area especially but I have been quite happy with some of my preliminary results. I really like the detail I get in this manner and want to explore it in more depth. This first one is a cabin that I found along the way while driving through some of Texas' historical places. I've been on a Texas history kick lately and have been going to a lot of our state historical sites and parks. This particular cabin was at a Stephen F Austin historic site in San Felipe, TX. San Felipe is considered the "Cradle of Texas liberty" and it is where Stephen F Austin brought the first 297 Anglo families to colonize Texas. It was very wet this day and I unfortunately was literally being eaten alive by mosquitos and deer flies so I did not venture out across the swampy mess to get closer to the cabin. I just took some images to use in the HDR, snapped a few more of the monuments that are there, then jumped back in the truck to get the heck out of there.

 

[Asher Kelman]

Hi James,

You have picked a great image that I'm sure will get a lot of interest.

Is this stitiched too or is it cropped to be a Pano?

If there is more, show it. This image can take more sky and trees as well as foregound. I see what looks like a grave stone on the left. Are there more. This is an interesting feature to include as it changes the pictures from a postcard to something more as it suggest a story makes one think about what was and what might be.

I have questions:

Is there more sky? did you not get an inderexposed shot to show that? I'd add sky. I see no reason not to. If you wish you can go back and wait or else just simply take it from one of you other pictures.

I do question the colors and saturation, but my MacBook Pro is not profiled. To my mind, the grass color is over saturated at least and a little too yellow. Same perhaps with the wood of the cabin. Did you use a WhiBal™ grey card or else an ExpoDisk™ to get color balance?

Anyway, I like the subject. Thanks for sharing!

Asher

If we could have the orignals then people might be able to add their own ideas on possible improvements in HDR and PS technique.

 

[James Newman]

Thank you Asher for the comments, questions, advice, and critique. Here is one of the original images used. I shot them in RAW with the white balance on my camera set to AUTO then adjusted when I opened the RAW files in PS. So as you can see, the final image was cropped and even rotated a tad and the color balance is truly horrible. I used Photomatix Pro to generate the HDR image but just as with Photoshop, I really do not have a clue sometimes what I am doing yet.


I do have 5 more images of differing exposures and one that is exposed fairly well on the sky but there just wasn't much in it other than blue and a couple of wispy clouds that barely show. Naturally, since I do not know anything about a grey card or expodisk, it's obvious I did not use them I guess that is just two more things I have to add to my list. So, all in all, I think if realism is what I was after, my image is horrible and I should not have posted it. I will have to try again and see what it looks like with more sky and better color. Also, if anyone would be interested, I would gladly send the original files so that someone who does know what they are doing could at least show me more of what I should be striving for.
James

 

[Don Lashier]

Actually the image in your first post has a rather charming "50's postcard" look to it.

IMO this scene does not justify HDR as the lighting is soft enough to not press the DR of the camera. I also think the color balance is not bad. What this image needs is just a little tonal manipulation - I'll give it a shot later when I get home.

- DL