Church HDR

[tom67]

I managed to make friends with the local church warden and he allowed me to take some pics inside the church, this is one that I have tonemapped beyond belief...thoughts please?:D

[janine]

beautiful!:)

[tom67]

Glad you like it, thanks for looking Tom:D

[btonacia]

This is beautiful, Im like Janine, total beginner but looking forward to seeing what I ca do with all of the digital enhancing stuff. Is photoshop easy to learn on your own??

[Snappers]

Very nice Tom. I like Janine and Btonacia am a beginner when it comes to using photoshop, I am looking forward to learning more about it.

[gjtoth]

I managed to make friends with the local church warden and he allowed me to take some pics inside the church, this is one that I have tonemapped beyond belief...thoughts please?:D

Don't know what tonemapping is... yet. Nice capture!

[tom67]

Wow, time travels so quickly, I can't believe where it has gone lol, glad you are enjoying the tonemapping image here, Photoshop...is it easy to learn? Well in a word...yes! lol, it is easy to learn but takes a long time to master, maybe we should start a thread on Photoshop techniques?:D

[jerryph]

Don't know what tonemapping is... yet. Nice capture!

Tone mapping is where you have one picture to work with and you adjust tones/colours, etc... to try to bring out the most in any picture.

HDR or High Definition Resolution is where you have 2 or more pictures framing the same scene but with vastly different levels of exposures between the pictures. They are then blended into a pleasing (but not always necessarily accurate) single pic.

[LensBaby]

Can someone please explain to me how to do tonemapping, and it be accurate. Thanks! (I would love the little photoshop section) I know some people want to get their photography skills down first, but I like to learn multiple things at one time. Kind of like not only learning to drive for the first time, but also learning to drive a standard car) I am trying to learn photoshop as I go.

[dkippen]

Sue -

How's this for a start? I've heard of it, but so far, haven't tried it nor have I taken decent enough pictures to give it a try.

http://www.layersmagazine.com/hdr-another-way.html or this
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/hdr.shtml

So do you also put your makeup on and drive at the same time??

[jerryph]

Before getting into HDR, its important to know how to bracket. Bracketing is where you set your camera on a tripod and then set the camera to do "X" number of pictures changing nothing but the exposures. So you may do (perhaps) 5 pictures, where the first one is set to properly expose and then 2 are underexposed at 2 different levels and the last 2 are overexposed at 2 different levels.

All 5 are then blended and the result is a picture that you call HDR. This is a VERY basic explanation, but it gets the general idea over.

The acknowledged best known HDR program on the market is called Photomatix. I'll likely be picking up my copy in a week or so.

[sanzia]

Beautiful tone mapping image. It really looks like a painting to me.

For those of you interested in looking into HDR and tone mapping, well I started with Photoshop and other programs, and gradually learnt backwards towards photography:rolleyes:, which is why I am here! But there is a program called Photomatix Pro, which can really give you and edge on HDR imaging techniques. They also put out a plugin for photoshop that will tone map your images.

Tone mapping and HDR are quite advanced things to do, as is photomanipulation etc.

But I can't do without the Photomatix for HDR.
http://www.hdrsoft.com/

Anyone can learn photoshop etc, but the learning curve is steep, and unlike me, I really do feel it's better to get photographic skills as good as possible first, although it does have an advantage of being able to make shocking images quite good. :D when heavily manipulated.

~Sanzia

[jerryph]

HDR definately shows part of a picture not "normally" visible under normal circumstances and I've seen some really beautiful examples. There is alsoa group of purists that feel HDR takes away from photography becuase the images are so heavily manipulated that though interesting, no camera of itself could ever take a picture of that nature.

I am not one of those purists... lol I feel that nowadays picture manipulation is part of photography in this digital age, but that a photographer will always strive to get the best picture they can get out of their camera. We should not need to PP for an underexposed photo, nor try to correct for errors we made while taking the pic. If we are, its no crime, but it just shows us that we have an area needing improvement.

[ladyups]

This has been one very interesting topic. I had never heard of HDR but I love the look...I think this must be something that my Sony can do in camera to a point...not as great as this but it has a dynamic range menu...either off, on or advanced. It's suppose to expose for the highlights and the shadows. I've never really tried it out but have seen examples of using it. Thanks, everyone, for all the information...when I get a time, I'll be reading all these links.

[dkippen]

Bracketing is something I'm going to try this weekend, then maybe HDR.

[ladyups]

Bracketing is something I'm going to try this weekend, then maybe HDR.

You can bracket automatically with your camera, Debbie..Just set it to bracket and then set how much you want. Mine can set from .3 to .7 either in continuous or single. When I'm not sure of the exposure, I set mine to continuous. It will take 3 photos.

[dkippen]

That's what I'm gonna do - I'm going up the N. Shore and Thunder Bay this weekend. A whole weekend devoted to taking pictures.

[ladyups]

Oh, cool...I'd love to do that. I keep telling my friend that we need to meet up and do a photography outing...when I retire, I'm going to do just that..

BTW...has Gary left us? I haven't seen him write in for a week.

[dkippen]

I'm going with my photo instructor - she knows all the good spots. Maybe sometime this summer, we could meet halfway and do a photo weekend.

I don't know what happened to Gary - looks like he pops in, but he's been pretty quiet.

[ladyups]

I'm going with my photo instructor - she knows all the good spots. Maybe sometime this summer, we could meet halfway and do a photo weekend.

I don't know what happened to Gary - looks like he pops in, but he's been pretty quiet.

Oh, that sounds great...maybe Chicago. My son lives there but we don't get up there very often. They usually come down here cause they have more time than we do. It would be so much fun to just photograph the city with someone that loves to do it. My hubby gets tired of me just wanting to take pictures.

[dkippen]

That would be a lot of fun - I went to Chicago just before Christmas. This would be something to look forward to!! Mine doesn't get tired of me taking pictures, but it's not something I want to subject him to all the time.

[LensBaby]

Thanks Debbie. I am going to read these today, when I have some spare time.

[LensBaby]

NO I never put makeup on while I drive, because I was a police officer and have worked many accidents caused from stupidity! This is an older photo (not the best quality), and NO the weapon was not loaded!

[LensBaby]

Sorry here is the photo ..it would't let me connect it to the last photo. ( Like I said older not so good quality pic, and of course I didn't take it myself..I'm the one in the photo and didn't have time for any hobbies then)OK it won't let me put it on here. So lets try this one -

http://www.proudphotography.com/forum/gallery/files/8/2/8/blow.jpg

[dkippen]

Sue -

I bet your kids don't give you any problems!! I assume you're not a police officer anymore?

[LensBaby]

No, actually what happened was that when I went on an accident call I was so interested in what the paramedics were doing, that I ended up going through a large city Fire Department around here for paramedic, and then went on to further my education in the medical field. I have so many titles, but the CE's (continue education) keep me busy all of the time, not to mention schooling the kids. I pulled my kids out of the school system we live in because a teacher (ex miami dolphins football player) slammed by son up against the soda machine and said he was going to kick his F&**ing ass.Mind you, a child with a brain injury from an ATV accident.One small blow to the head and he can die. Long story, but needless to say my son has went from straight f's to 4.0 and also passed all of his OGTs with EXCELLENT scores 2 years ago.He actually is in 11th grade, but probably will be able to finish school early. I am staying home with the kids at this point in time, but keeping all of my certifications up. (sorry this was so long)

[dkippen]

WOW - what a story. It is so sad to hear about teachers - no matter who they are - treating our future in such an abusive manner. Congratulations on teaching your children with wonderful results, I don't know if I would have the patience (course, my "child" is an adult). You are a very special lady with wonderful talents!

[Snappers]

Gary - Quiet - Never!
But you are right, we havn't heard from him for a while.