Wedding Photography-To Edit or Not to Edit????

From DULL..........

........To DAZZLING!

Wedding photography preferences are as unique and individual as the people you photograph.  Couples may say they want very traditional poses and images, some may want photojournalism- candid style photography, some may be in love with black & white, and some may want to be on the cutting edge of the latest photography trend.  What I've found, is, that regardless of what they tell you, most couples really don't know what they'll like until they see it.  Here's what I've learned to do.  I present all their wedding photos in classic color with little editing.  Then I take some of my personal favorites, duplicate them, and add my own 'photo art'.  I vary my edits from simple sepia and black & white to more dramatic creativity like the image above and the image two posts back.  They get to see the original and compare it to the artistic version.  They will then know instantly what they like and don't like,  and are thrilled you have taken the time to give them a choice.

Side note:  dark gray days with low contrast lighting will produce flat, dull looking pictures.  No matter how pretty the location, or great the pose, if the lighting is dull, your photos will not pop.  This is a great time to practice and add some creative flair. 

Tech Talk Tuesday - 10 Things To Check Before Snapping the Shutter

Below I've listed ten important questions to ask yourself prior to taking your picture.  I think if you will mentally run down this list, your photography will improve and you will take more memorable pictures....you know, the kind that you, your family and friends, and your bloggging buddies will find interesting, creative and memorable:

1. What do I want my viewers to experience?

 

Do I want them to experience an emotion? Do I want to tell them a story? Do I want to give information? Do I want to inspire them with the beauties of nature? Do I want to make a political statement?
Your image should have a specific purpose.

2.  Do I have a strong subject or focal point that supports the purpose of my image?  (And maybe additional elements that support the main subject?)

 Have I made the main subject of my image stand out in some way from all the other elements in the composition so my viewers are certain what I'm trying to emphasize or draw attention to?  You can do this in many ways, such as: where in the composition you place your subject; keeping the subject in focus while blurring the background: using contrasting colors to set your subject apart....just to name a few possibilities.

3.  Have I tried to simplify my composition to emphasize the important subject or focal point?

 

As you look through your viewfinder, mentally decide if there are distracting elements that can be eliminated by shooting from a different angle, zooming in or out, blurring the background, or simply moving objects out of the frame, if possible.  A simple composition often makes for a stronger statement with more impact.

4.  Am I close enough to my subject to really make an impact?

One of the biggest mistakes beginning photographers make is not getting close enough to their subject.  'Up close and personal' means just that.  The closer you are, the more intimate and personal your viewers will feel about your image.  

5.  Does the available light source contribute or detract, & do I need additional light?

What is the direction of my light and is it strong enough?  Do I need to bump up my ISO or use a faster lens or add some fill flash?  How does the color and direction of the light affect the mood and impact of my subject and composition?

6.  Would moving my camera make a stronger composition?

Would my composition look better in a portrait orientation or a landscape orientation?  Could I tell my story better and make a more interesting image if I changed my perspective, point of view and/or angle?  Can I think of a way to be more creative than just holding my camera at eye level?  Can I lay down on the ground, climb up on a ladder, or tilt my camera to show a view of my subject that would be unique and interesting?

7.  Do I want the background to be sharp or blurred?

How will the background add to my image and subject rather than detract from it?  Do I understand the functions of my camera well enough so I can make the creative decision to have the background sharp or soft?  Do I understand the functions of various lenses so I can make the decision to have the background recede or be prominent in my image?  

8.  Have I carefully inspected all elements in the frame other than my subject?

Have I carefully looked at my composition to see what else I've included in the frame in addition to my subject?  Are there trees growing out of the subject's head, or unflattering shadows hiding part of my subject's face?  Are there other distracting elements in the frame that take away from, rather than add to the main subject?  How can I eliminate unwanted elements to create a stronger image? 







9.  Have I identified something unique about my composition that sets it apart? 

What is different about my image that will make my viewers find it interesting, creative and unique?  No one really wants to look at boring pictures.  Great images have what I call the 'WOW' factor!

10.  Have I developed a simple 'check camera settings' list to run through before I go on a photo shoot? 

• Shooting in RAW......check
• ISO set to 200...........check
• White balance set to cloudy........check
• Exposure composition set to 0....check
• Empty CF cards and extra charged battery packed.....check
• Flash, extra batteries and reflector packed.......check
• etc.
• etc.     

Spending a few minutes to check your list could mean the difference between ending up with a card full of beautiful images, or ruined ones! 
 

Coming Soon...I promise!!!

Daniel & Kenzie

It was a lovely wedding, and although the sky was gray, it did not dampen the spirits of this happy couple.  And today, it's a gray, snowy, Monday morning where I live and I just felt like taking a break from my 'normal' editing, and because I'm thinking in gray I wanted to have a little gray texture fun.  Don't worry D and K, your wedding photos will not be gray..... but I am including some great B and W shots.   And, you'll be happy to know I'm almost through!)

Wedding photography is most always a wonderful experience, getting to share probably the happiest moment in a couple's life, and making memories they will treasure forever.  But wedding photography can be stressful and unpredictable as well.  Take a look at a video where this wedding photographer was having a gray day I'm sure he would like to forget:

Sunset of Life

THE SUNSET OF LIFE

In the sunset of life,
The shadows are dim;
The years orchestrated,
By life’s fickle whims.

Where once there was brightness,
A life filled with light;
It drifts toward the sky,
On shadows of night.

The sweetness of youth,
Is a memory now;
Yet holds all the sweetness,
My heart will allow.

For memories fade,
And 'tho time slips like sand;
My time is dictated,
By God’s simple plan.

In the sunset of life,
I have found joy and peace;
I shall celebrate life,
'Till my sunset has ceased.

Allison Chambers Coxsey
©2004 ~ All Rights Reserved

"ze plane, ze plane"

Bell Tower, Queen Anne Cottage

Around 1877, Elias "Lucky" Baldwin purchased the 8,500 acre Rancho Santa Anita in the heart of the San Gabriel Valley in southern California for $25 an acre, which was the largest real estate transaction recorded up to that time in the Los Angeles area.  In the following years he continued to purchase more land and by 1879 Baldwin owned 46,000 acres of prime land in the beautiful and fertile San Gabriel valley.  He is probably best known for the racetrack he built on his property, the Santa Anita Racetrack.  He built this beautiful and fanciful cottage for his wife and to entertain their guests.   The house is set next to a beautiful lagoon bordered by a lush tropical jungle and has been used for several movie sets.  Probably the most well known, however,  was for the opening scenes of the TV series in the 70's called Fantasy Island.  Can't you just see Tattoo up in that bell tower yelling down to Mr. Roark, (Ricardo Mantalban), "ze plane, ze plane".    Now the cottage and surrounding acres belong to the County of Los Angeles and is now a beautiful arboretum.  I grew up about 10 minutes away from here.

So now that it's all coming back to you, here's a short clip to help the memory:



(You may have to start the video, then pause it until it loads, then click several times to start it again.)

Congratulations to Tanna and my daughter Amber who guessed correctly, although my daughter probably doesn't count since she's too young to remember the series, and probably remembers because we took our family there many years ago.

Phriday Phun-Familiar Place???????

Here is a little memory jogger for those of you old enough to have a few gray hairs.  Who can tell me what this place is and what was it used for??????  I'll tell you after I have a few guesses.

(I did not use HDR on this image but uploading has caused some haloing in the sky.  Don't know why.)

I Left My Heart........

..........In San Francisco

A lazy, hazy, late afternoon, spent walking along the water's edge.  Lighting was not so good for photography, but saw this photo op, so pulled out my camera anyway.  There were tons of other people around this couple, but as I was standing there noticing how aesthetically pleasing the meandering 'stream' was in the foreground, the couple in the middle ground and the Golden Gate Bridge towering in the background, all the other people walked out of my composition, and I used that split second to snap the picture.   (Because of the lack of contrast and neutral tones of midday, I used a Lightroom preset to add a bit of additional snap and color.  HDR would not have been a good choice here.)

Tech Talk Tuesday - Flash Photography

As per several requests, I'm going to talk about the basics of flash photography on today's Tech Talk.  WAIT!  Don't click to the next blog on your blog list just yet!  I promise this will be even simpler than the basics.  I know many photographers are clueless about how to get decent photos when using an on camera flash so they stick to only shooting during the day.  It is true that natural lighting, IMHO, is the prettiest, most desirable light for photography, but that really limits when, where, how and what time you can take pictures.  Using flash will give you more photo opportunities and more chances to be creative.   Learning to use a flash takes some time and practice, but is well worth the effort, because you will certainly improve the quality of your photos when you understand some of the basics.  

If you have a point and shoot with a built in flash, your options are limited.  You can, however, see if you have a control that will allow you to decide when to use the flash rather than letting the camera decide.  For example, if you are shooting a dark and mysterious scene and you want it to look that way, your camera will still think the scene is underexposed and will flash, ruining the desired effect.  Or if you are taking a portrait in bright sunlight, your camera will not flash, but what if you want to add a little fill flash to brighten up the shadows under your subject's eyes.  If you can control when the flash goes off,  there are some options for point and shooters.  The trick is to know exactly what your camera will allow you to manually control.


But this post will be mostly for those of you who have a dedicated flash that you can attach to the hotshoe of your SLR camera.  First some basics about using any kind of flash.

• Normally a flash on your camera will produce a harsh, unflattering light
• Often a flash on your camera will cause people to have devil eyes (red eye)
• Often a flash on your camera will create unwanted shadows everywhere
• Remember that a flash will only light up a short distance  (it always strikes me funny when I'm at a stadium at night and thousands of flashes go off.   I really wonder if these people think their flash is lighting up the field below)!

So the first thing to know about using flash, is how to set the controls on your flash.  I will only show you the very basics, because remember, my posts thus far are for beginners.  I use Canon equipment and this is a Canon Speedlite 580EX II, so I hope all you other camera users can adapt this discussion to your flashes. 


First you need to decide on the "mode" you want to use.  "ETTL" means the camera senses the scene and makes the exposure/flash decisions for you.   "Multi" means that you are using that particular flash in conjunction with 1 or more additional flashes.  "M" means you are shooting in manual and you decide the flash output.  To set the mode you just push the mode button (3) and with each push, it cycles through the three options.  Here (1) it tells me that I'm in ETTL mode.


After you decide on a mode you can then fine tune the flash output by increasing it or decreasing it.  First you push the button in the center of the wheel (4) and then turn the outside wheel (5) clockwise to increase output in 1/3 or 1/2 increments, or counter clockwise to decrease.  The numbers on the LCD screen will flash until you push the center button again (4), which saves your settings.  In this picture I have set the flash output to increase by +1 (2).  You can fine tune the flash output like this in all the modes.


With this kind of sophisticated flash unit there are tons of additional settings to learn and use, but this post is to get you started, and too much information is confusing.  Just with the above basic information, you can use your flash in almost every situation.  My advice for beginners is to put your flash in ETTL mode, take a test shot to see if the camera can get the flash output correct.  If it needs to be fine tuned for a little more flash, or a little less flash, then fine tune as described in the above paragraph.  You may never need to know any more than this to get the perfect amount of light out of your flash.

(One addition bit of useful information to note, is the numbers at the bottom of the LCD.  Depending on your settings and lens, you will be able to see the maximum distance an object can be to be properly lit by the flash.)


Second, you need to learn how to make your light pretty.  Photographers spend a lot of time trying to make artificial light look natural, and with pleasing shadows in just the right places.

Because most flash light is harsh, the first thing to consider is buying some sort of a modifier to attach to your flash.  They come in all sizes and shapes, from simple to elaborate, but all have the same purpose - and that is to soften the light.  In addition to this, often photographers will attach colored cellophane type paper to the flash head to imitate the type of light they are looking to achieve.


Another way to soften light and make the light more flattering, is to not point the flash directly at your subject.  If you are indoors, turn your flash head to the ceiling or to a nearby wall, and 'bounce' the light back onto your subject.  This will broaden and soften the light and take away the 'deer in the headlight' look, and create nice catch lights in the eyes.  It will also help to avoid hard shadows on the wall or whatever else is behind your subject.


Speaking of eyes, one problem with flashing light straight at the face, is that it often creates red eye.  Most cameras have settings to reduce if not eliminate this problem, but often this is at the expense of a delay in the shutter opening and closing.

One way to avoid red eye, and to take more flattering portraits with nice shadows and shading, is to take the flash off the camera and have the ability to move it away from dead center above the camera.  Some photographers use a bracket which solves both of these problems.  This, however, only allows the flash to be off center by a small amount. 

When you are really ready to 'rock' with off camera flash, you will invest in some nifty little radio transmitters called Pocket Wizards.  You attach one to your camera and one to your flash.   Then you have the freedom to stick your flash on a stand and move it anywhere you want, independent of where your camera is.  This gives you the freedom to see where your shadows are and the ability to create beautiful light.

This is just the start of learning how to use flash to give you more versatility in creating lovely lighting for your pictures.  Maybe you should give it a try!!

Sunset Sunday - California Gold Coast

California Gold

There's a reason why it is called the 'golden west'.  We were enjoying the afterglow of the sunset and I was waiting for a photo op.  These three pelicans(?) flew past just at the right moment when the floating kelp and the rocks all color coordinated with the golden glow of the sky.

Phun Phriday - Calico Ghost Town

Bottle House

Becky says she's been to Calico and remembered the bottle house and Sandra requested more photos of the town, so this post fits both.

Calico Ghost Town Cowboy

Henry Fencepost
songwriter, singer, pianist, entertainer, cowboy

Henry entertained us while we were eating lunch.  He sang popular and original songs.  One song he wrote was called the "Whistle Song".   While he was playing it on the piano he told us he couldn't sing it anymore since he lost all his teeth!  We visited with him, I asked if I could take his photo and I told him I'd send him a copy.  In turn he gave us a free CD of his latest songs.  

(Don't you just love natural light for portraits!  The sun was out, but he was sitting in a shaded area with the sun streaming in perfectly to add dramatic shadows and contour to his face.)

Tech Talk Tuesday - Photo Art Using HDR

Preacher at Calico Ghost Town

(walking out of the saloon!)

Last week in Tech Talk Tuesday, (click HERE), I did a review of HDR programs and I hope what you got out of that post is that with the programs now available, anyone can produce interesting, fun and/or realistic photos and art with very little time and a short learning curve.  This week I thought I'd show you one of the ways I often use HDR.

We just got back from another quick trip to California, (my last few images were pre posted before I left), and we stopped at Calico Ghost Town, (a tourist trap), on the way.  We were sitting on a bench and this character walked out of the 'saloon', and turned around to talk to us.  My camera was in my hands, (of course), and set to bracket 3 shots at different exposures, and my 2 second timer was on.  I had no time to fiddle with any other type of settings.  In about 2 seconds I asked him if I could snap his picture.  He said yes, and with one click of the shutter button I had my three images.   (I braced my arm as best as I could to avoid movement, because I didn't have my tripod with me and I was sitting down.)

The above photo is what  I ended up with after about 5 minutes on the computer.  Here's what I did:  I exported the three images into EFex HDR Pro (which I still have in 'trial' form).  It is so fun seeing what all the presets do that I quickly tried different effects on the image.  I came across one that I think was called "Granny's Attic" which gave this old west look to it.  I knew I wanted this type of look and I usually use a Photoshop action to produce something similar, but this preset did almost the same thing.  I then fiddled with some of the sliders to add clarity and a bit more definition to make his weathered face stand out, and that was it.  Then I imported the image into Photoshop and used an action to  sharpen his eyes.  The last (and trickiest) thing I did was remove his name tag.  That all took about 5 minutes, and I like the end result.  To me it is much more fun and interesting than any of the originals.  Below are my three SOOTC shots.   What do you think?

   

November Desktop Image

Mt. Timpanogos in Autumn and in Sunset Light

Yes, you have seen this image before and since it is one of my favorite photos of my favorite mountain, I thought I'd share it with you for the month of November.  (And I figure since it was taken at sunset, and I'm posting on Sunday, it'll do double duty for my 'Sunset Sunday' post.)  

For anyone new dropping by, I post an image every month for you to use as your desktop image.   

Just click  HERE

to download then right click to set as your desktop image.   It is sized to fit your monitor and should not be pixelated or blurry.  If you have problems, let me know and I'll help.  It is for your personal use.   Feel free to share with friends but please do not use it for profit. 

Seems Appropriate for Halloween

Bonnie and Clyde Meet Their Maker

Last year Jeff and I stopped for the night at a hotel/casino on the border between California and Nevada.  They had Bonnie and Clyde's car on display.  It was difficult to photograph because we were in a dark casino and the car was behind glass.  I couldn't use a flash as it would have reflected off the glass, so I did the best I could by bumping up the ISO and then doing a lot of editing with some HDR to add depth because of all the similar shades of gray.  Also, the faded patterns in the lower part of the image are not on the car.  It is the carpet reflecting off the glass.

Even seeing this car behind glass was a gruesome sight.  I well remember going to the movie of Bonnie and Clyde when it was released in 1967.  This movie had a very unsettling influence on me.  I first thought it was because of all the violence and the idea that a nice woman would voluntarily choose this life.  But that was only part of it.  I soon realized this movie was unique from all the movies and TV shows I had seen thus far in my life.  You see, up until then, good guys wore white, bad guys wore black.  You rooted for the good guys and in the end good most always triumphed over evil, and even if it didn't, you always knew which side was supposed to win.  Then along came Bonnie and Clyde.  It is true they didn't win in the end, but throughout the whole movie I found myself hoping they would outwit and outrun the lawmen who were determined to stop them.  Hollywood made the bad guys appealing and the good guys less so.  Then a few years later came Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.  Now really, how could you not fall in love with the characters played by Paul Neuman and Robert Redford.  Who cared if they were train robbers, you still were rooting for them.  This was my realization that society is divided in their views of what is good versus what is evil, what is right versus what is wrong.  I just always assumed that bad was always wrong and good was always right.  Simplistic me!  Today not only do we condone antisocial and/or illegal activities, we often make cult heroes out of these people.  Remember the flight attendant who opted for an antisocial way of quitting his job...you know, the one who supposedly had been drinking, yelled obscenities over the intercom and then deployed the air shoot?  About a week ago, the news said he has now acquired quite a number of admirers. Huh?

I don't know, life seemed so much better when I thought the good guys always wore white and the bad guys always wore black!

 

Phriday Phun - Halloween Phun

There Is No Title To Accurately Describe This Photo!!

Last year Jeff and I were visiting an old wild west ghost town, now a tourist trap.  Jeff stepped into this coffin, and I quickly whipped out the camera.   Because the original was really boring I decided to get carried away with HDR effects, (too much time on my hands that day), and ended up with this.  Seems appropriate for Halloween don't you think???

Autumn in the House

Flowers On My Dining Room Table

After yesterday's post of what I see outside, I needed to show that inside I'm holding onto fall a little bit longer! 

What a Difference a Day Makes!!!

I just had to add a P.S. to my HDR review (last post).  This shot was taken one day after the shots in the previous post.  I'll be wearing black today.

Tech Talk Tuesday / HDR Review

 What is HDR???

A technique referred to as HDR, or High Dynamic Range is taking the photography community by storm.  There seems to be two opinions;  it's either the best thing since sliced bread, or, it's so cheating it can't even be called photography!

Briefly and simply defined, an HDR image is the final product of taking several different exposures of the same scene, then aligning and merging them into a single image.

What's the Purpose???  

Why would you do that when our goal should be to get the right exposure for every shot?  The truth is, unless you are photographing a scene with a very limited tonal range, (which would be boring anyway), it's very difficult to get the right exposure for all parts of a scene.    Have you ever taken a shot of a beautiful, colorful, landscape, with your camera exposing for the whole scene, but then are disappointed when you view it on your monitor or in print?   It often seems dull and flat and not nearly as vibrant and dramatic as what you actually saw.  So then you adjust your exposure so the land looks perfect, but then the sky is all washed out.  Next you expose for the sky and clouds, but then the land is too dark.  While your camera can record only a limited tonal range, your eyes can see a great tonal range from white, to grays, to black.  So you can see the deep blue sky, puffy white clouds, as well as a nicely exposed ground.   For years photographers have tried to correct this problem by screwing split level neutral density filters on their lens, with varying degrees of success.  Then in the dark room there was dodging and burning to further correct the problem.  Now we live in a world of sophisticated digital cameras, computers, and programs that give photographers amazing tools to help us more easily correct the limitations of our cameras and help us create beautiful photographs.

Side Note:

Time for a side note.  For all of you who just want to pull out the point and shoot and take a snap and be done with it, you've probably already figured out this post is not for you.   Because the bottom line is that with rare exceptions, most beautiful photography still takes knowledge, planning, and especially time.  Even the photographer who does no post editing, has probably spent many trips and many hours on location until finally he's there when the lighting, sky and foliage are just right for that perfect shot.  Again, beautiful photography takes time even with our modern tools and techniques.


Maybe It Is Better Than Sliced Bread!

Like it or not, HDR is here to stay.....and I like it!  In fact I love it!  Why wouldn't anyone like to create and look at beautiful, vibrant photos and have the tools to do so?  When one is able to see a large spectrum of subtle color changes, and a large spectrum of tonal shades, a flat image (photograph) takes on a 3D effect, looks more real, and well, just looks more like what the eyes would see naturally.  I consistently get far more compliments on my HDR photos on the blog, in print and on other websites than I do on anything else.


A Few Helpful Hints: 

First of all, HDR does not work with all types of images.  It is good with subjects that don't move, because remember, you have to take several identical shots at different exposures.  If your subject moves, or your camera moves, your shots will not line up and your final HDR image will be blurred or have ghosting artifacts.  The current versions of HDR programs help in a limited way to correct slight movement, but to get a really sharp image you need a tripod, (or a rock steady grip),  and a stationary subject.  Also, naturally, HDR works best with scenes where there is a wide tonal range, with light, medium and dark tones and colors.


Next, it's best to shoot in Aperture Priority mode so your perspective does not change during the different exposures.

Another important note is that you will rarely be able to produce a beautiful HDR photo just by using an HDR program by itself.  This is because while creating an HDR image will make most of your scene look beautiful, it will most likely make parts of the scene look terrible.  Don't ask me why because I don't know, but it just does.  The sky, usually around clouds, can be particularly troublesome, with strange artifacts, halos, ghosting, noise, etc.  So here is the most important trick for me to tell you, so pay attention!!!...  After you identify the part of your merged HDR image that looks weird, you need to find one of the original images you used for the merge, where that weird part looks the best, then add that image as a layer to your newly created HDR image.  Then you need to 'erase' the weird portion of your HDR image so that part of the original image shows through.  Then you need to experiment with different ways to blend the visible portion of the original with the HDR image so it looks natural.  I know I've probably lost some of you here, because obviously you need to be able to work in Photoshop and have a basic understanding of how to use 'layers' and 'layer masks' to do this.


One more thing to remember, is after you have created your HDR image, you will probably still need to do some basic tweaking with levels, exposure, color casts, in Photoshop, Lightroom or whatever photo editing program you normally use.

Which Program Should You Use:


With the basics out of the way, you now have to decide which program you will use to help create your masterpiece.  Luckily there are now programs out there to make it easy for us normal folks so you don't need to be a techno geek to create HDRs.  I'll talk about the four I think are worth considering (IMHO); however, I will not give you all the specs, but you can click on the program names below and that will take you to their websites so you can easily get all the info you need :

PHOTOMATIX 4.0 - $99

This program is endorsed by many HDR pioneers, including Trey Ratcliff, who is arguably the guru of HDR Photography.  If you are interested in learning how he produces his beautiful photographs, he provides an HDR tutorial on his blog HERE.  This is where I started.  He also has a fairly new book out.  This is an excellent program with an excellent interface and many controls giving you seemingly endless tweaks and options for unique looks.   It's a matter of moving sliders and other controls until you achieve the look you are after.  This is the program I am currently using.

PHOTOSHOP CS5

Photoshop CS5 has a merge to HDR function.  At times I can produce decent images, but not consistently.  A real disadvantage is that the merge process is extremely slow.  I rarely use this function, but if nothing else works, I'll give it a try.

HYDRA 2.2 - $79.95

This is a new program and claims to have an excellent alignment and anti ghosting algorithm so you do not need a tripod.  It also advertises one can merge up to 10 exposures.  It is common to merge 3 to 5 exposures, and in my opinion, that is plenty to get a good tonal range.  This is a much more simple program with not nearly as many 'bells and whistles' as Photomatix or HDR Efex Pro.  For me, it produced a noticeably different look, and more of an artificial look than the other programs.

HDR EFEX Pro  - $159.95

This is also a new program and has everything the above programs have and more.  In other words it has all the bells and whistles to allow you to create endless looks for your images.  It has a very intuitive interface, and an impressive number of visual presets.  One unique feature is selective editing where the other programs are all global editing.

My Comparisons

As I worked with each of these programs I tried to create the most natural looking photos I could, working 99% in each particular program.   I didn't do any major altering, like bringing in a layer of one of the original photos, although I did do a small amount of exposure correction on some in Lightroom.  Needless to say, all the programs will create a variety of psychedelic, abstract, artificial looking images, but I suspect most of you are like me, and want your photos to look real.

Medium Exposure of Originals

Hydra 2.2

Photoshop CS5

Photomatix 4.0

HDR EFlex Pro

The first set of photos above are of an extremely wide range of tones and colors.  I stood out on my deck in the morning and shot toward the east with the sun just out of the frame.  (Did you know that sometimes you can shoot directly into the sun and end up with a very interesting HDR shot?)  Anyway, I wanted to see how these programs handled extreme light and extreme dark.  Notice the differences in how these programs handle the sky, the color variations and the lens flare.

Medium Exposure of Originals

Hydra 2.2

Photoshop CS5

Photomatix 4.0

HDR EFex Pro

Clouds and 'ghosting' are particularly troublesome.  In the above set of shots, the wind was blowing and the clouds were moving fast, so they were not in the same place in all the exposures.  Notice the ghosting on the left side of the cloud in the Hydra and Photoshop photos.  Using the function to help eliminate ghosting in the Photomatix photo helped, but as you can see, made that portion of the cloud faded and dull.  The HDR EFex Pro shot altered the ghosting in a different way, but still noticeable. 

 

 Medium Exposure of Originals

 

Hydra 2.2

Photoshop CS5

  Photomatix 4.0

HDR EFex Pro

In this final group, the original is good.  This was taken in my great room with a fisheye lens.  As you can see, the left wall is covered with windows letting in really bright light.  I wanted to see if these programs would pick up any of the details on the deck in the bright morning light.  Also notice the color variations.

CONCLUSIONS

Well, first of all, since I love HDR, any program that helps you create a beautiful image is better than none!!!!  Second, since my experimenting with Hydra and HDR EFex Pro is very limited, my opinion may or may not hold much weight.  But, in my humble opinion, the HDR EFex Pro was the most versatile, easy to use, and fun program.  The interface is easy to use and allows unlimited ways to tweak your image, and it is just fun to see how all the presets change the look and feel of your shots.  Maybe you'll find a look that really works that you didn't know you could achieve.  I may consider purchasing this one.   PHOTOMATIX 4.0 is still an excellent program and produces amazing images.  It has a new interface with 4.0 that is more user friendly and also comes with some visual presets as well.  HYDRA 2.2 does a passable job but I had to do lots more tweaking to come close to what I wanted my images to look like.  The interface is extremely simple and simple to use with fewer controls and sliders.  PHOTOSHOP CS5 will also produce passable images, but again, I had to work a lot harder to produce what I was looking for, and another real downside for me was that it takes forever to render or merge your originals into the HDR image.

WHAT PROGRAM SHOULD YOU USE???

Sorry, I can't make that decision for you!  A start is to study the above examples to see if the images processed from one program look better to your eye than the others.   But just looking at my few examples is not enough.  You should also look on the internet for other reviews of these programs.  And cost may be a factor.  But how easy each program is for you to use and how you like the results are the most important factors; and, the really good news is that you can download HYDRA 2.2, PHOTOMATIX 4.0, and HDR EFEX PRO for free and give them all a test run before you decide.

SOME INSPIRATION

http://www.stuckincustoms.com/

http://www.hdrspotting.com/
http://mdsimages.com/


FOOTNOTES, CHALLENGE and REQUEST

Hopefully this review has piqued, (thanks Rick), your interest in HDR.  The bottom line is that it is no longer a complicated, technical process reserved for a few techno geeks.  Anyone can achieve beautiful images with one of these programs and a little knowledge and some time.   This review has been 'bare bones' and only a beginning, but I hope you've learned something about HDR. 

It would make my day if some of you are willing to download a free trial version of one of the above programs, create your first HDR image, and email it to me.  If there are any brave souls out there, I'll publish your images on my blog and link back to your blog!  (Deadline is November 10.)

I'd really like your feedback.... has this post been useful and would you like me to continue doing similar posts (it is time consuming), or would you like less words and just more of my images??