Trees at Dawn by marlboromaam

Trees at Dawn

Big thanks to Nick @neeko who is helping me with some interesting lessons in HDR! This was shot at about a 90 degree angle to my dawn shot yesterday. Bear with me while I muddle my way through this fascinating software!!! Please feel free to tell me how overdone you may think it is! I'm a big girl and I can take my licks! But, I've seen how some HDR can just really enhance texture... Eye candy times 3! So, I'm determined to learn!
It is beautiful :)
January 24th, 2012  
Maggie, this is amazing. I love the colors and the somewhat mysterious atmosphere in the shot. Great!
January 24th, 2012  
Awesome! Great color and LOVE that tree silhouette. Nice shadow work going on there too. I'll never try it because it just looks way too hard and "over my head!" But you go girl . .you're rocking it. :)
January 24th, 2012  
This shot is awesome.....I'm a likin it Alot....... Was just headin over to that tube thing myself...... Wanted to check it out..... Not sure it's nuff Hickory sticks to get it in this Mule head...... But what the Heck..... Gonna go for it......
January 24th, 2012  
Love that your taking the plunge into HDR! First what I love about this image is the gorgeous sky colors and the two very different prominent trees- the greens on the tree on the left are phenomenal and really add to the image. And the silhouetted tree is fantastic! The only thing I don't like is the light edge around the tree on the left. It just looks as though you painted the sky that color and you couldn't get close enough to the tree. Over all well done girlie!!!
January 24th, 2012  
awesome colors!
January 24th, 2012  
beauftiful!
January 24th, 2012  
@horselover Thank you very much, Jennifer!
January 24th, 2012  
@meisen325 Aww! Monica, thank you! I appreciate every thing you said, too!
January 24th, 2012  
@karenann LOL! You got to have the "want to"... without it, anything is over my head by leaps and bounds! Thank you for your kind and thoughtful comments! I appreciate it very much!!!
January 24th, 2012  
@lonewolfman Nick is a good teacher! His vids are pretty straightforward and easy to understand! Thank you for those sweet comments! Much appreciated!
January 24th, 2012  
I really love this photo above the blue and up. The blue is a bit to pastel and the leaves a bit too bright/fake for me personally. I love what looks natural and guaranteed that I will join in at some point in time and do photos like this but like them as SOOC as possible. Make sense? I bet I look at this in an hour and change my mind a bit. It is beautiful as an entire package/photo. What is HDR? I have heard others talk of it but how do you use it as it looks a bit like picnik.
January 24th, 2012  
Awesome colors and the extra dynamic range really pops on this one!
January 24th, 2012  
@heidievans73 Yes, Nick says that's somewhat symptomatic of HDR but, I will work on it! Thank you very much for that thoughtful feedback, Heidi! Very much appreciated!!! xo
January 24th, 2012  
Super gorgeous
January 24th, 2012  
Simply amazing. I have so much trouble with lighting I think I really could benefit from HDR but am just learning myself. Can't wait to see your progress.
January 24th, 2012  
@darsphotos Take a look at Nick's video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LirHwGqMGIU&context=C3f4d472ADOEgsToPDskIxQ2Yp_-h5GH9c5ehq5J7y It will do a better job of explaining HDR than I can. I know what you mean about SOOC. I love it more than anything else. However, HDR has its place. For me, it's in textures which like I said can multiply your seeing times 3! Take a look at some of Nick's HDR photos on here... http://365project.org/neeko/profile His work is fantastic!!! This shot is not so great. I don't expect it to win any contests. It has some flaws but, it was my first with this HDR software and it's a learning process like any other photography technique. I don't want to limit myself on technique. Thank you very much for your honest comments! I do appreciate them very much!
January 24th, 2012  
@mhphoto Thank you very much, Mike! There's lots of room for improvement though! =)
January 24th, 2012  
@cathyomn Thank you, Cathy! Sweet of you to say so!
January 24th, 2012  
@copperheadglass Thank you very much, Meredith! There's definitely a learning curve with it! LOL! I can't wait to see progress either! =)
January 24th, 2012  
Great shot and processing. A FAV for me. I like the way the colors turned out. Neat.
January 24th, 2012  
Deb
Nice shot? I like the purples in this photo.
January 24th, 2012  
Deb
Nice shot!
January 24th, 2012  
@markbuehl Thank you very much, Mark! I appreciate that! This is one of the shots I got on the accidental "tungsten setting" so there are less yellows. I need to experiment with these light settings more and see what they do to colors!
January 24th, 2012  
@deburahiru Thank you very much, Deb! I appreciate that!
January 24th, 2012  
WOAH! This is amazing!!!
January 24th, 2012  
Fun!!! I want to do this, but definitely need some guidance! Glad you have found it... seems to be working nicely for you!
January 24th, 2012  
Gorgeous sky!! I am taking a class on HDR on Thursday night! I'm so excited to learn something new. I don't have the software yet.
January 24th, 2012  
@ceelo17 Thank you very much, Claudia! I hope you will see improvement in the next HDR shots I try!
January 24th, 2012  
I really like this a lot. Is there free HDR software out there? I've never used it before but would love to.
January 24th, 2012  
@bthimlar Brenda, there's a link above to Nick's videos on YouTube! Check them out! His link to his 365 project is also up there. Check out his HDR pics, especially the ones that have to do with texture! Thank you for your sweet comments! I appreciate them very much!
January 24th, 2012  
@twinsplusone Sharon, check out Nick's videos on YouTube. The link is above. Also check out some of his texture shots. His 365 link is there, too!
January 24th, 2012  
@myhrhelper Thank you, Kathy! I know there's a few free apps out there but, I don't think they give you much control over the color, shadows and light. I'm using PhotoMatix and it's not too spendy for a really nice app that gives you control in a user friendly panel.
January 24th, 2012  
Love it...its just right...I agree that some HDR can be over the top...but I kind of like that about HDR. have yet to try...Great job!!
January 24th, 2012  
@nlaurie Thank you so much! I really appreciate your comments and the view!
January 24th, 2012  
Great job! The colors are wonderful.
January 24th, 2012  
This is beautiful!!!!!!!
January 24th, 2012  
@cmc1200 Thank you very much, Caryn!
January 24th, 2012  
@cheyrebecca Thank you, gal! I like that!
January 24th, 2012  
Gorgeous colors here! Now I feel the need to find a better HDR subject and play with the sliders in the program.

@myhrhelper photomatix has a free trial version available. It supposedly does everything the pro version does but it also leaves a watermark on the finished photo. check out my photo from today and the one photo in my 2nd album--they are both from the free version. Its a good way to try it out before making the commitment.
January 24th, 2012  
@sassykat Thank you! My pics from Saturday morning were really blue because of my "happy accident"... They are making some fun experiments in the HDR app for sure. Nick has been a big help to me! @myhrhelper That's right, Kathy! Forgot that you can go for the trial version and try it out!
January 24th, 2012  
So very beautiful
January 24th, 2012  
@kerristephens Thank you very much, Kerri!
January 24th, 2012  
Lovely colours here.
January 24th, 2012  
@lornavale Thank you very much, Barb! Appreciate the view and the comments, too!
January 24th, 2012  
I'm excited for you to start playing with HDR.. I learn a lot from reading your posts about your process, lol.. I love these colors!! It's so serene..
January 24th, 2012  
eva
Nice shot with intense colours.
January 24th, 2012  
That is so awesome that you are learning how to do HDR processing! Maybe you can teach me after you get the hang of it! :-)
January 24th, 2012  
Very eye-catching, very dramatic processing. And so you embark on your new adventure! That's must be very exciting for you. I think overdone-ness in HDR is a matter of personal taste. I'm not particularly fond of HDR photographs except when they look "natural". I know that 's a weird thing to say about HDR but I like those photographs where the effect is obviously there and yet looks subtle. They make me go, "Oooh, that looks like HDR... or is it?" 8D
January 24th, 2012  
well done mrs..for me, i think the halos around the trees/clouds make it a tad overcooked.. but, it is all about personal taste.

The amount of colour saturation and diff lighting effects... the more you mess about with them, you get to see how they each influence each other.
like most things, the more you try, the better you get.
Eg taking photos! don't matter about the camera.. it's The eye behind it. nice camera =more option/control.. blah blah!
January 24th, 2012  
Amazing pic. Love the colours!
January 24th, 2012  
Nice go at HDR. It is a lot of fun to experiment with. I try to keep it natural (Parelli coming out) but sometimes over the top works. This has pulled out gorgeous colours
January 24th, 2012  
HDR - wild!
January 24th, 2012  
Wow Maggie! This is beautiful! FAV for me :D
January 24th, 2012  
Amazing colors!
January 24th, 2012  
Love, love, love! The colors are fantastic!
January 24th, 2012  
WOW!!! ~KM
January 24th, 2012  
Really nice! The colors you were able to achieve are great! I've just started playing with HDR myself, and it really can be addicting!
January 24th, 2012  
gorgeous colour! great processing too!
January 24th, 2012  
It's like a magical and fantasy atmosphere! :) very nice colors, its seems they're coming out of my screen!! :D
January 24th, 2012  
Beautiful!
January 24th, 2012  
@buggus Thank you, Oleta! It's just my first with this software. I have to thank, Nick, for his YouTube vids and help! It's the texture shots that really put me in awe! That's why I want to learn this!
January 24th, 2012  
@redrucksack Thank you, Eva! I appreciate your sweet comment!
January 24th, 2012  
@lorihiro Ha ha! I watched Nick's YouTube vids and he's given me some pointers. He's the teacher! Thank you for your comments!
January 24th, 2012  
@myautofocuslife Thank you, Livia! I'm in this for the texture shots! They are ones that put me in awe because they're eye candy times 3! I'm liable to put up some over the top shots while I learn to use this software but hope they won't be too ugly for the purist taste. =) I love Nick's texture shots and he gets the effect through HDR.
January 24th, 2012  
@sleepdozer57 Thank you very much, Peter! I appreciate your honest input with it! Nick did say that the glow around the trees was sort of symptomatic of HDR. My goal was not to make the clouds in the background completely disappear. Not the best shot to work with since these are the "blue" shots from Saturday and my happy accident.
January 24th, 2012  
@kraftymax Thank you, Max! =)
January 24th, 2012  
@purdey Thank you, ma'am!
January 24th, 2012  
@peterdegraaff Thank you, Peter! I love the natural, too! It's mainly the texture shots with HDR that put me in awe and why I want to learn it! Eye candy times 3! I hope I can get better with a little practice!
January 24th, 2012  
@denisedaly Thank you, ma'am!
January 24th, 2012  
@princesicita Aww! Thank you, Princess! You say the nicest things! =)
January 24th, 2012  
@cindylou Thank you so much, Cindy! You are so sweet!
January 24th, 2012  
@melissapike I love what it does to textures, Melissa! Have you seen some of Nick's texture shots! They really put me in awe!!! Thank you for your comments! Really appreciate them a lot! =)
January 24th, 2012  
@bobbyj Thank you very much!
January 24th, 2012  
@simonesta Thank you! What a nice thing to say! =)
January 24th, 2012  
@adevorss Thank you very much!
January 24th, 2012  
I hadn't seen Nick's project before. Thanks so much for pointing me to his work. He's got some amazing stuff!
January 24th, 2012  
I love this! It's so pretty!
January 24th, 2012  
@melissapike I find his HDR to be different than most. I love how he breathes so much life into his cloud shots, too! He just makes them come alive with depth and texture!!! LOL! I'm not excited at all about this prospect, am?!
January 24th, 2012  
@michealadawn Thank you so much!
January 24th, 2012  
i really like all the different types of trees in this shot and how they all have a different color!!! that makes this shot SO pretty....and so does the color in the sky! i say you did a great job! i have yet to learn how to do hdr shots and try one out!
January 24th, 2012  
Wow...! This is beautiful, all the colours and the after glow on the trees blend in perfect ..! Great Great Shot :)
January 24th, 2012  
@kdimagery Thank you very much, Kd! I appreciate all your comments and the view! When you're ready to try it, look at Nick's videos on YouTube and take a look at his 365 project!
January 24th, 2012  
@vignesh Thank you! HDR is a matter of personal taste, it would seem. What you like, others don't! Isn't it interesting how very different we are and yet the same. =) Appreciate your comments very much!
January 24th, 2012  
I like the look of the trees, and the colours are fantastic
January 24th, 2012  
This is gorgeous. Lovely shot.
January 24th, 2012  
Beautiful Maggie, Beautiful ...well I have to say your two 'post Cloe' images have been excellent....it's like you have shaken off the the restriction of the week theme and been liberated like a free spirit.

HDR is difficult to do, but you seem to have mastered the technique for this image. It's not overdone , it looks amazing, the tones , textures and lighting work well together.

Aother +fav for me, if I was a 'Pinterest Man' I'd be pinning this ....or as I can see some pine trees I'd be 'pine..ing it' .....to pinch a quote from you ......'great eye candy Maggie' :)
January 24th, 2012  
@marlboromaam Thanks for the tips :) !!
January 24th, 2012  
@phil_howcroft LOL! You nailed it, Phil! Liberated at last! Ha ha! Thank you for the kind comments and you're right! It's not easy! Hopefully, will improve with some practice and time. A fav? WOW! LOL! Yep, eye candy is why I'm determined to learn HDR.
January 24th, 2012  
@kdimagery Anytime, Kd! If I can!
January 24th, 2012  
@marlboromaam Maggie, I'm sure you will soon be one of the best HDR practitioners on 365 ... to quote you again "you'll nail it" ....don't forget your other techniques though...we want to see all Maggie's skills and genre's on here :)
January 24th, 2012  
@phil_howcroft I promise not to do only HDR! That would get just as old as a 7-day same subject series! LOL!
January 24th, 2012  
Great colors!
January 25th, 2012  
@exposure4u Thank you so much!
January 25th, 2012  
@marlboromaam Good Morning Maggie...ha ha Maggie , as long as it doesn't get as old as us two :) :) ...then again...we are still 'young' :) ...aren't we? Yes of course we are :) .... have a great day :)
January 25th, 2012  
@phil_howcroft Have a nice day, Phil! =)
January 25th, 2012  
Amazing colors... so beautiful and peaceful. Makes you feel all is right in the world... A total fav!!!!!
January 25th, 2012  
@traciwood Aww! Traci, thank you for the fav! Most of all, thank you for your comments and the view! What a nice compliment, too! =)
January 25th, 2012  
I don't know much about HDR yet but I have to admit that you did a great job bringing out the colors and textures here!
January 25th, 2012  
@cjphoto Thank you! I'm glad you think so! Hoping for improvement with it!
January 25th, 2012  
I use HDR in almost all my pics! I like to tone it down so it highlights the shadowed areas and bring out detail without looking "Harry Potter"! Its a lot of fun! Your doing awesome!
January 26th, 2012  
@orangecrush Really? In almost all your pics? I thought they were mainly SOOC, Jerry! WOW! I just want to enhance textures with it. Nick (@Neeko) is giving me some pointers. It will do some enhancing with the Photoshop HDR, but it won't do what Nick does with textures. Still not so sure how he does but, it's almost as if he breathes life into his texture shots! They are so amazing and fascinating! And your pics are just downright beautiful!!! This is another aspect to HDR that I haven't looked at yet!
January 26th, 2012  
Gorgeous shot! I wish I knew HDR techniques.
January 26th, 2012  
@michaelelliott LOL! Michael, truthfully - it's crap! But, I'm learning and hopefully will progress little by little! You can download the free trial version of Photomatix and play with it before you buy it! Or, you can keep on using it but, it will leave a watermark on your pics. Give it a shot! As good as you are with your beautiful photos, I'm sure you would not have any trouble with HDR!
January 26th, 2012  
Beautiful
January 26th, 2012  
@maioya Thank you very much!
January 26th, 2012  
Amazing colors! Iike how HDR can bring out different depths and textures
January 29th, 2012  
@urvid Thank you so much! Really appreciate those comments!
January 29th, 2012  
Awesome photo with wonderful colors. This could be a postcard. Fav.
January 30th, 2012  
@shonnys Wow! Thank you so much, Shonny! I appreciate your comments!
January 30th, 2012  
Leave a Comment
Sign up for a free account or Sign in to post a comment.