Thanks Jack, I appreciate it.
Is this by any chance a 1 shot HDR?
No, this was one of my first experimentations with HDR and I adjusted the exposures on my computer.
you can simulate HDR with 1 raw shot (or even 1 jpeg, but it'll be even worse), but you need multiple shots which properly expose the darkest shadows to the lightest highlights to make a true HDR. Even with a +-2EV bracket you should have had some detail in the sky.
The original had some minor details, but I have no idea why they disappeared when the HDR photograph was generated.
Just like getting good IR shots, HDR requires a tripod and remote release, not lots of post processing. Auto bracketing is very handy because it allows you up to +-2EV in 3 shots (or more, depending on the camera) without touching anything but the remote release, negating the risk of moving the camera slightly while changing exposure settings.
As you explain later in your edit, the D40 doesn't have auto bracketing, so everything has to be done manually, which I'm sure will become a pain in the arse later on.
I haven't gotten a tripod yet, so I'm just duplicating photos and adjusting their exposures before throwing them in the Photomatix HDR generator.
If I'm wrong on that account sorry, ignore the auto-bracketing bit and just put it in Aperture priority and adjust the shutter speed or the +/- exposure compensation to suit the dynamic range of the scene. When in doubt, take more exposures. Spot metering the scene's darkest and lightest elements while in aperture priority mode before putting the camera on the tripod and composing is a good way to get a ballpark range.
Thank's for the tips, I was searching online for a decent description of how this is done in amateur photography language but was unable to find anything on the D40.
But all that said, if this was a multiple shot HDR I apologize for assuming it wasn't, I personally don't think this scene really needs HDR, the sky's blown out but that's not the important part of the shot.
It was a 3-shot HDR, but no offense taken. I agree that the scene doesn't need HDR as I posted the original shortly after someone had asked to see it.
If the sky was so bright it bled into the dark buildings on the right it would be distracting, but as it is it just looks like it was an bright overcast day. The great deep red is the focus of the shot, and a dark contrasty foreboding sky wouldn't really mesh that well with it anyway.
I agree. I should have used the built-in flash in the original, because fiddling with the brightness and exposures on the computer make the sky look blown out anyway.
I'm hopefully moving on to Photoshop CS3 when it ships later this month. It will be a big step, but this Aperture Trial and iPhoto really aren't cutting it when it comes to editing.
Does Photoshop enable you to HDR only certain parts of a photograph? For example with this photo, would I be able to leave the sky in it's original form while applying HDR to the building and newsstand?
Thanks a lot for your help Ben.
