# Couple of recent HDR's from my trip to CO



## lyonsroar (Aug 24, 2011)

These are from my trip to Vail Colorado.  I had some serious problems with haze in the mountains.  Not sure what I could have done to minimize it.  I got some good shots I think.




golden by Lyonsroar91, on Flickr




starburst by Lyonsroar91, on Flickr




ruby by Lyonsroar91, on Flickr




IMG_7326_bw_1_wm by Lyonsroar91, on Flickr

I'm really now concentrating on my B&W processing of both HDR and single exposure photos.  It's something I've struggled with for a long time and I think I'm finally getting somewhere.

Comments?


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## Twilight (Aug 24, 2011)

I like the sky in the third one! But I think u should get rid of the ghosts!


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## Compaq (Aug 24, 2011)

#1
I love the sun in this one, and I can't find any flares either! I like the overexposed sun part. Was it rising or setting? Perhaps I'd like to see a little more of that nice, warm light that shines on some flowers and the trees, that I like very much. That light there is fantastic. As for the foreground, I feel it could have been a little brighter.
Oh, and there's some vignetting that I don't like. Noticeable in the upper blue corners. 

#2
Again, love the sun rays you're getting. I love the view. However, that little tree in the front, that's just misplaced, imho. It does nothing to the picture but draw the attention from the view and the sun. It seems to me this image doesn't have a foreground. That tree could perhaps have been part of it, but it's cut off. Perhaps some grass if you have lowered the camera  a little. Personally I like having a foreground element in shots like this, but I guess it's personal opinion. Those dark clouds are a but weird, perhaps? I dunno. Oh, and there' some vignetting here as well. Did you do something with the forest in lower left corner? Something just seems cloned or something down there. Perhaps I'm wrong. Again, that tree just shouldn't have been there!

#3
Was your vision to sort of show off that little village thing under the mountains and the sunset? I don't mind the people ghosts, actually. It adds life to the village. One thing I'd like to see was that direction arrows on the roof there more up into the sky. The black silhouette would look nice, I think. That red "do not enter" sign annoys me a little, but I guess those are out of your control. As a general photograph, I'm not sure. As a tourist magnet picture or something like that, appearing in a village magazine or something... then I think it would be great!

#4
That sky is great. It's vibrant even in greyscale. Some blown highlights in the clouds, though. I'd like more detail in there. I like the placement of the horizon, and those snow capped mountains are wonderful! I feel some detail is lost in the trees. Perhaps a little dark? This image has great depth, I think. Again, a foreground element would perhaps be nice, and would add even more depth.


Great shots, I think! :thumbsup: At which time of day was these taken?


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## Robin Usagani (Aug 24, 2011)

Your BW conversion is getting better.  You may want to start cropping it wider or start taking several frames and stitch them.  It just look better when it is wider IMO.  3:2 ratio looks weird on a landscape I think.


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## lyonsroar (Aug 24, 2011)

Twilight said:


> I like the sky in the third one! But I think u should get rid of the ghosts!



I think the ghosts add life to the scene.  They stay.



Compaq said:


> #1
> I love the sun in this one, and I can't find any flares either! I like the overexposed sun part. Was it rising or setting? Perhaps I'd like to see a little more of that nice, warm light that shines on some flowers and the trees, that I like very much. That light there is fantastic. As for the foreground, I feel it could have been a little brighter.
> Oh, and there's some vignetting that I don't like. Noticeable in the upper blue corners.
> 
> ...







Schwettylens said:


> Your BW conversion is getting better. You may want to start cropping it wider or start taking several frames and stitch them. It just look better when it is wider IMO. 3:2 ratio looks weird on a landscape I think.



Want to explain the "cropping it wider" bit?  Do you mean taking some off the top and bottom so that it is thinner?  Or am I getting this completely wrong?  Probably the latter...


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## Bynx (Aug 24, 2011)

As for B&W I highly suggest Nik Silver Effex Pro. It does a great job converting your color shots. Many presets to choose from or build a set for yourself.


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## lyonsroar (Aug 24, 2011)

Bynx said:


> As for B&W I highly suggest Nik Silver Effex Pro. It does a great job converting your color shots. Many presets to choose from or build a set for yourself.



I DL'd the trial of this, I just haven't had a whole lot of time to mess around with it lately...


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## Bynx (Aug 24, 2011)

There is no learning curve. Just open your pic in Silver Effex and select a preset. The learning part would be making your own set. But I have found there are enough presets that there is always one that suits my needs.


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## janok (Aug 25, 2011)

I liked #1 very much. The colors and composition is great. Especially the reflections in the grass on the hill.


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## robertandrewphoto (Aug 25, 2011)

I like 3 alot, i just really wish that DO NOT ENTER sign was gone


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## lyonsroar (Aug 26, 2011)

Bynx said:


> There is no learning curve. Just open your pic in Silver Effex and select a preset. The learning part would be making your own set. But I have found there are enough presets that there is always one that suits my needs.



I'll have a chance to try it out nonight hopefully.



janok said:


> I liked #1 very much. The colors and composition is great. Especially the reflections in the grass on the hill.



Thank you.



robertandrewphoto said:


> I like 3 alot, i just really wish that DO NOT ENTER sign was gone


I removed one of the two.  I'll remove the other one tonight and update the post.


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## pathoulihan1 (Aug 27, 2011)

-"I will clone that little cut off tree out. You're right, it does interfere with the foreground, or apparent lack of foreground. The trees were honestly not as green and lush as I was hoping for, kind of disppointing so I decided to concentrate on the wider view. I cloned out a lot of flare in the forest area. It's possible you are seeing remnants of that."



Your processing is very well done in my opinion, as for the lushness of the trees, as far as composition goes, my favorite piece of the scene is the colors in the trees to the left of the frame.

I too like the ghosts in the town, in fact I sort of wish there were more of them without making the photo look "busy". They certainly give it a "view into the past feel".


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## Joshb619 (Sep 7, 2011)

Those three images are stunning! But the fourth one really stands out. For that shot, did you make the HDR conversion and then convert to black and white? I can't tell if you are either really good at shooting/ editing single images, or if that was shot via HDR to get the high contrast, and then converted... Either way, excellent work!


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