HDR - rainstorm

[tykles]

I just wanted to share this image I generated from 3 bracketed shots and merged with Photomatix. This storm formed on the horizon while I was out hiking. I love how much contrast there is in the clouds. Let me know what you think...

BTW, I had a question about another technique I wanted to try in this setting. Every time I tried to capture a long exposure to try and get some lightning shots, I ended up with just a white out. Am I missing something, or is that type of shot just not possible with daytime light levels?

 

[zwida]

It's beautiful. Excellent color and contrast.

You shot it with your Nikon D70? What lens?

 

[pdpfilms]

BTW, I had a question about another technique I wanted to try in this setting. Every time I tried to capture a long exposure to try and get some lightning shots, I ended up with just a white out. Am I missing something, or is that type of shot just not possible with daytime light levels?

Yeah, you got it. Too much light in the day to leave the shutter open for much longer than a second, even with your aperture lmost completely closed. You could, theoretically, get a bunch of high-level neutral density filters to bring the light down even more. But basically, the long exposure only really works when there is very little light and thus the white lightning bolt burns onto the dark background.

 

[tykles]

Thanks! I shot it with the 18-70 kit lens at 18mm. The three shots were exposed at f9 1/320, f8 1/250, and f6.3 1/160.
And thanks for the feedback pdpfilms.

 

[monkeydo_jb]

Great mood in this shot.

If you want long exposures in bright surroundings (like blurring waterfalls), then check these out.

 

[pdpfilms]

Great mood in this shot.

If you want long exposures in bright surroundings (like blurring waterfalls), then check these out.

Those are some butt-ugly sample photos! I'd think Tiffen, of all companies, would know to use non-grainy, up-to-date samples.

 

[monkeydo_jb]

Those are some butt-ugly sample photos! I'd think Tiffen, of all companies, would know to use non-grainy, up-to-date samples.

Haha, I agree.

Apparently they haven't done sample shots since the 80s...


There are plenty of other brands for ND filters. This was just the top of my Google-ing.

 

[jared_kipe]

Yeah, you got it. Too much light in the day to leave the shutter open for much longer than a second, even with your aperture lmost completely closed. You could, theoretically, get a bunch of high-level neutral density filters to bring the light down even more. But basically, the long exposure only really works when there is very little light and thus the white lightning bolt burns onto the dark background.

LOL Neutral density filters.

Try this instead. Put on put a linear polarizer on top of a linear or circular polarizer filter. Then you get anywhere from 1/2 light to no light depending on the relative angle between the two filters.

EDIT: Oh and I forgot to say, if you have 2 circular polarizing filters, just reverse one. On most filters you can remove the glass, so just reverse one, and then you can label that one the linear polarizer, and stack that one on top of the other. I've done this, but they are different brands, so instead of blocking all the light it introduces a purple hue. (on a side note, they have very slightly different colors, one is warmer than the other, so if I put them in order so they are both circulars, or the linear is after the circular I can tune from neutral to very warm to very cool. So its like packing a box of warming and cooling filters too. Gotta love the versatility of the 2-3 polarizing filter setup. )

EDIT2: I'm sure someone would think of it, but you don't HAVE to reverse the glass in one element, you can attach them with a moderately thick rubber band so that the front one is reversed and thus linear.

 

[kylos]

Do you have a better compressed version? The jpeg artifacts ruin an otherwise beautiful image.

Edit: you can get a free flickr account and link to it from there, so you can avoid compressing it to put it on MR.

 

[tykles]

Do you have a better compressed version? The jpeg artifacts ruin an otherwise beautiful image.

Edit: you can get a free flickr account and link to it from there, so you can avoid compressing it to put it on MR.

Here's a link. I think there might be some inherent noise just because of the motion in the clouds when I took the pictures. I uploaded one of the originals for comaprison.
Thanks for all of the positive feedback.

 

[pdpfilms]

LOL Neutral density filters.

Try this instead.

No need for the negativity, bud. It was simply a suggestion.

 

[Sideonecincy]

very nice. I really like the slope of the hill in of the ground to allow it to show more of the background of the sky, and also gives more of an interesting terrain for the foreground.

 

[iGary]

No need for the negativity, bud. It was simply a suggestion.

I don't think being positive is in his vocabulary.

Typical egotistical photographer groupie.

 

[tykles]

very nice. I really like the slope of the hill in of the ground to allow it to show more of the background of the sky, and also gives more of an interesting terrain for the foreground.

Thanks for the encouragement
I'm also very pleased with the way the path in the foreground tends to lead the viewer off to the left, causing you to look at the whole image. I'm quite satified with how it turned out - I haven't produced many pictures I would confidently subject to criticism.

 

[jared_kipe]

OMG seriously, I didn't mean it negative. I simply think that having 2 polarizing filters is as useful as a box full of neutral density filters. Unless of course you want a ND that is less than 1/2 light, but we were trying to block out A LOT of light.

Secondly, I said lol because I thought it was humorous. I didn't start calling you bud, or egotistical groupies. Talk about my negativity. All I did was say "hey try something" since generally speaking most people already have a couple of polarizers, they wouldn't need to run out and buy ND filters. Plus since nobody brought it up, I figured it was something not many people would think of, hence the try part. But whatever. So much easier to just start name calling then to bother with asking if I meant it how you took it.

To tell you the truth I'm actually hurt by this. Especially iGary's responses, as if I'm I'm not positive, why was I voicing my opinion over in his Contest Suggestions thread.

 

[iGary]

I retract what I said. It was unecessary and rude; I apologize.

You do not, however, come across as overly supportive or "friendly" in most cases, now matter how you feel.

 

[peas]

Typical egotistical photographer groupie.

this is where some might get confused.
in an editing room, shots are in or out.
you learn quickly that not every one of your keepers is in.
you learn your caption might suck complete ass and that the in shot is now out.
you learn to not ask why your shots are more out than in.

you basicaly sink or swim. that's the black and white of it with no shades of gray in between. cutting to the heart of the matter just means you dont tiptoe around the fluff, not that you're egotistical.

i know you retracted your comment, and that you seem to be an all around helpful guy, but why resort to banter just because you dont see eye to eye?

 

[jared_kipe]

You do not, however, come across as overly supportive or "friendly" in most cases, now matter how you feel.

Though I don't completely disagree, practically the only thing I do on macrumors is give advice and help. Be it in hardware/software, or more often in photography. That said, the few times I have posted a photo or two I've taken, nobody has ever been particularly supportive of me. I was never aware this was a popularity contest.

Obviously there is not enough room on the grand forums of macrumors. I am sorry for all of my unsupportiveness. I will surely not be missed.

 

[qpawn]

Obviously there is not enough room on the grand forums of macrumors. I am sorry for all of my unsupportiveness. I will surely not be missed.

This whole situation might not be as big a deal as you're making it out to be... or maybe this has all been a conspiracy from the very beginning!!!... wait, am i in on it?... or am i next?!?

 

[iGary]

Though I don't completely disagree, practically the only thing I do on macrumors is give advice and help. Be it in hardware/software, or more often in photography. That said, the few times I have posted a photo or two I've taken, nobody has ever been particularly supportive of me. I was never aware this was a popularity contest.

Obviously there is not enough room on the grand forums of macrumors. I am sorry for all of my unsupportiveness. I will surely not be missed.

Good lord, I regret what I said and aplogized for it.

 

[Bibulous]

Try this instead. Put on put a linear polarizer on top of a linear or circular polarizer filter. Then you get anywhere from 1/2 light to no light depending on the relative angle between the two filters.

That's an interesting tip, might try that out.

Edit: Forgot my Canon brand polarizer filters do not have treads on the front and they are 58mm and 77mm so the rubber band trick is out.
This bugs me to no end as I can not use the lens cap with them either

 

[Chaszmyr]

In my opinion HDR doesn't work very well if you are capturing anything that might blow in the wind.