a few shots from the past weeks - starting to really get my feet wet with HDR.

http://srika.com/img/chicago_hdr/chicago_marina_hdr.jpg

http://srika.com/img/chicago_hdr/chicago_unitrin_hdr.jpg

http://srika.com/img/chicago_hdr/chicagojb_hdr.jpg

http://srika.com/img/chicago_hdr/chicagoriver_hdr.jpg

http://srika.com/img/chicago_hdr/chicagoriver2_hdr.jpg

http://srika.com/img/chicago_hdr/chicago_stateofillinois_3lights_hdr.jpg

shot of Clark Street Bridge at Wacker Drive
http://srika.com/img/chicago_hdr/chicagoriver3_hdr.jpg

pic 1 with different colors
http://srika.com/img/chicago_hdr/chicago_marina_test_hdr.jpg

nice! I'm really gonna start learning how to do this. A tripod is a must, right?

nice! I'm really gonna start learning how to do this. A tripod is a must, right?

Yeah.. but I only used one for 2 shots above. For the rest, I used ledges and other stationary points of balance. But, tripod is optimal.

Yeah.. but I only used one for 2 shots above. For the rest, I used ledges and other stationary points of balance. But, tripod is optimal.

do you use photomatrix? do you have any pre-saved tone mapping settings that you load? or just a case by case basis.

I can not seem to get tone mapping right

do you use photomatrix? do you have any pre-saved tone mapping settings that you load? or just a case by case basis.

I can not seem to get tone mapping right

Yeah Photomatix.. no I don't have any presets, I do them case by case. And, I still have a lot to learn, these are pretty cooked. Need to get a better balance. There is an infinite amount of possibilities though, it's great. I mean, everything is in the eye of the beholder.

whoa! how do you do this?

whoa! how do you do this?

hey man, check out these links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_dynamic_range_imaging
http://www.vanilladays.com/hdr-guide/
http://www.hdrsoft.com/support/faq_photomatix.html#tips
http://www.popphoto.com/hdr

This gives you a good idea of the kinds of exposures you should get with your shots:
http://www.hdrsoft.com/examples.html

If you don't have the Photomatix software, you can download the Trial version (http://www.hdrsoft.com/download.html) and use that - it will put a Photomatix watermark in the pic but at least you can try it out.

Here is info on Merging to HDR using Photoshop CS3:
http://www.photoshopsupport.com/photoshop-cs3/hdr-high-dynamic-range/index.html

Far from as good as the others, but I will play around with it some more. HDR pictures just look so amazing.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1219/1152852036_f189a85900_b.jpg

wow you did it that fast??? impressive! :P yours looks good! See there are a few "schools" of thought regarding HDR, from what I have seen. There is the more subtle, "natural" looking ones, that are just bringing out the dark areas while preserving the light... then there is a little more dramatic, then there is like, "shock and awe", which I believe is the one I subscribe to. lol. imo though there is no necessary "wrong" or "right", it's just about the vision of the creator. And that's the great beauty of it.

Your pictures are truly amazing. I love the way the colors just pop out of the picture. I took my picture yesterday when the clouds were just too puffy and overcast so the shadows just don't allow them to really pop out. I obviously have lots of practice and fooling around to do.

got a few yesterday, wish I could have got more but I was at work..

facing Southeast, from Wacker Drive
http://srika.com/img/misc/IMG_1070_2_4_6_tonemapped.jpg

facing West, from Wacker Drive
http://srika.com/img/chicago_hdr/chicagowest02.jpg

facing West, from Wacker Drive
http://srika.com/img/chicago_hdr/chicagowest01.jpg

excellent! I love them. I've been waiting for this rain to stop so I can get out and try some for myself!

here is the view from my balcony a couple nights ago. i need to get photomatix so i can get rid of the waterprint!

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1398/1170526519_f718ac6672.jpg

hey nice view man! heres a couple from this afternoon:

http://srika.com/img/chicago_hdr/IMG_1236_28_30_32_34_800.jpg

http://srika.com/img/chicago_hdr/IMG_1276_4_5_tonemapped_800.jpg

can you guess where I went tonight? :lol:

http://srika.com/img/chicago_hdr/chicago_hdr_night03.jpg

http://srika.com/img/chicago_hdr/chicago_loop_hdr_srika.jpg

http://srika.com/img/chicago_hdr/chicago_hdr_night04.jpg

Great shots. The biggest disadvantage of HDR is the noticeable degradation in quality. What lens did you use to take the last shot? Wide enough to capture so much of the skyline.

what did you use to get the shots? (since you cant use a tripod up there)

Great shots. The biggest disadvantage of HDR is the noticeable degradation in quality. What lens did you use to take the last shot? Wide enough to capture so much of the skyline.

If you have a tripod and thusly properly aligned and bracketed shots, there should be no degradation. I did not have a tripod for these so that was a challenge - I propped the camera up against the glass and the window "sill" and edges as best as I could, as a form of support. It proved almost impossible - if not impossible - to get razor-sharp-aligned bracketed shots. So I think that's the "degradation" you're seeing on these. I used a 24-105 on most of these - at 24mm. Not particularly "wide" per se, but since it's with a full-frame camera, it looks wider than it would on a cropped sensor.

what did you use to get the shots? (since you cant use a tripod up there)

yeah that was tricky.. see above.

I color corrected a few of these - I think they look better:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1424/1232154884_f58bc1ce78_o.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1386/1232239912_c7e222dbee_o.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1098/1235312741_2574c32ed7_o.jpg

and here's another one, looking west - kinda fuzzy on the left and right - no tripod:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1149/1229668242_40c052dde6_o.jpg

thats amazing for no tripod....do you recall the settings?

ISO 100, f/4.0 - and obviously exposure varied.. if you want to know any other settings just ask!

if I had a faster lens I think I'd have better luck too..

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1278/1246335985_3f2eb17a08_o.jpg

I had more usable shots than I had thought...

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1257/1246469587_5b94142127_o.jpg

good job dude. can you post the 3 different exposures (maybe of your best one?) and the photomatrix settings you used? I have bene trying these too and cant see to get it right. the tone mapping is where I get stuck

Hey - I'll post the exposures tomorrow.. my laptop is at work. I'll also post screenshots of the photomatix settings.