Learning more about HDR

One of the things I learned the most about at the California Photo Festival was HDR (I talked a bit about HDR in this post last year).  I took classes from Rick Sammon and Hal Schmitt on the subject and came away with new (to me) ideas and techniques for improving my photos. Here are a few that really made a difference for me:

• Bracketing at -2, 0, +2 isn't usually adequate
• Manually bracket to get the right amount of frames for the given scene
• Watch the histogram so that the darkest shot isn't clipping any highlights and the brightest shot isn't clipping any shadows
• Photomatix Pro is what the pros use to process their HDR shots - and the technology has come a long way!

These photographs were taken at Kelsey See Canyon Vineyards. Their old rusty truck was just begging to be an HDR subject! The first photo is also my Photo of the Week (hosted by Jessica Rogers Photo).

HDR is so much fun! I'm really enjoying making more realistic looking images, although the painterly style is fun too, with the right subject. With this old truck I tried to strike a balance between real and surreal and I like the effect. What do you think?

By the way, Kelsey See Canyon has great wine! Their Black Box Zin was my favorite and their apple cider blends are unique.

Finally - don't forget that Thirty Days of Thanksgiving starts on November 1, 2011! I'd love if you'd join me in this challenge.  Click here for more info on how to participate.