Not to diminish anyone's opinion as expressed in an earlier thread, I'd like to start a thread that is the opposite of one started earlier. Some have shared their feelings about the photos they dislike (hate is such a strong word), so now let's talk about the type of photos we really LIKE. But let's take this thread one step further and share an example with the reason behind why you like that type or that particular photo. This will also give us the chance to defend our choices for the type of photos we take.
Let me start:
I am a huge fan of most HDR. For those "haters" of HDR, let me share my reasoning, by showing you an unprofessional "before" and "after" photo that I have done. Remember, I am no professional and am still in the learning stages, but I do think I'm seeing drastic improvement over my first attempts at HDR. I do, however, have a long way to go, so don't be too critical.
Before:
In this photo, the windmill seems rather bland and doesn't contain much detail. The sky, while showing a little variation in light and color, is rather flat. This photo, as is, lacks detail and drama.
After:
Here the windmill's detail is much more pronounced and it pops out of the photo more so than in the photo above. The peeling paint and the rustic details appear so much more profound and dramatic. The sky is also much more detailed and almost daunting-looking. The HDR effect has transformed a fairly flat photo into one that has more depth and light variation.
Now, it's your turn. Share the photos that really speak to you and explain why you are particularly fond of either the photo or the "type" of photo.
I love HDR too, I'm just not that great at it, so I grew rapidly bored of my own HDR's. But if you look through my fav's, you'll see a LOT of HDR's there - particularly from @yoshi and @orangecrush
I know this wasn't on the "hated hit list" - but I adore night shots. Particularly stars and trees. In fact, I'm a little guilty of overdoing them in my project. But seriously, I could do 365 days of night shots and be quite content (if I could get out for that many night shoots:)
This is one I shot when the Northern Lights came out to play. Very subtle but they're there:)
I am a big fan of selective colour. I know it's often overdone and sometimes just an excuse to tune up an otherwise crappy shot but I like to use it to highlight certain features of a photo - like a matching outfit:
I love photos of kids. It is so magical to capture the perfect moment and freeze it forever. Many say, "Why would anyone want to look at other people's kids?" Well, I have never asked anyone to follow me. I am doing my photography for me, my family, and now other families. So if you don't like kids, don't follow me. I appreciate my followers and I enjoy looking at their lives too. :-)
I like a variety of subjects and I think it shows in my photos. I looked at my Favs and finally realized no matter what the subject is I do appreciate creativity. Now, this is no reflection on anyone else at all but I am a bit ADD and find if I am looking at the same type of picture repeatedly I get bored and no longer appreciate it. This is how I feel about taking pictures. I try to vary my subjects and show some creativity.
@dejongdd Deb, before I get started, I just want to say that we are all entitled to our opinions. In fact, someone recently mentioned they hated my cat pictures. I was not happy with such a proclamation, but to each their own, I say! To each their own. I'm gonna keep on taking pictures of her until she knows better to run away from the camera. In the same respect, you're free to completely ignore what I've written, and keep on rockin' on.
Your example is not what I would consider good HDR. In fact, I would consider it just the opposite.
You say the windmill is more pronounced, but, actually, it just looks like the dodge tool was carelessly used to brush a circle of lighter exposure on and around the windmill. Look at how inconsistent the lighter areas are. It looks as if a spotlight is pointed at the lower center of the blades. This is similar to the "halo" effect often seen in HDR, where darker object literally have a halo of light around them, which can be considered even more visually offensive than random highlighting.
For example, this shot is halo-rific. Look at the sky immediately above the trees. I'm nearly expecting spaceships to appear on the horizon. Where else is all that light coming from?
This is unfortunately one of the downsides to HDR software, because while compensating the darker areas, the surrounding areas are often also made lighter. Look one more time at the after-shot from a few different angles. You'll quickly see the brightest area is the windmill and the surrounding clouds. This is how you could identify the halos. The windmill shot is a very less severe example, but it still exists.
While HDR (especially when done with Photomatix) can create really exceptional effects in an image (especially with clouds and textures), those effects are more of an extreme example of HDR compositing, as compared to a simple exposure fusion that subtly imitates the faculty of dynamic exposure in the human eye, in which most light sources are properly exposed, and nothing is burning out or pure white.
In this situation, I think a well-masked windmill with a slightly increased exposure in order to reduce the high contrast, plus a little more "life" tossed into the clouds would produce a much better result. Or, go the high contrast route.
If you want to see some amazing HDR shots, I would check out www.stuckincustoms.com and www.blamethemonkey.com. These guys are pioneers and masters of the process, and their shots are always breathtaking. Plus, there is some really helpful info on both sites.
Below are a few quick faves I've chosen to alleviate any tension I might have created by writing the above.
A beautiful, golden landscape.
A perfect capture with equally perfect processing.
@gurry I cannot disagree with your assessment of the first of my photos that you mentioned. That is NOT a good example of HDR, and when I uploaded it I almost took it down. It is horrible and I know it. But that is NOT the photo I used in my example. Can I get you to do me a favor and critique the same photo I used in this thread instead of an entirely different photo?
Remember, I said that I have in no way perfected the art of HDR so do not claim to be a professional. I was merely supporting why I choose to do some shots in HDR while others are not. If you'll look through my entire project you'll see that I do a combination of different styles, and hopefully you'll see a marked improvement from day one to day 261. (If not, I may as well quit now.)
The purpose of this thread was not to criticize those who "hate" HDR, but rather to share what types of photos we (not just me) happen to "Like". Look at the other ones that were posted in this thread and you'll see a variety of photo types - not just HDR.
@dejongdd The comment regarding aliens written immediately before your September 6th shot was the only comment referring to the September 6th shot. In other words, I only used that shot to supplement my points.
All other commentary was referring to the "after" picture you posted, dated October 18th.
@gurry I have seen their work and am totally in awe, but I am no professional, nor do I claim to be. I am sorry that you do not like my work and think that it is poorly executed. On the other hand I do value your opinion. I'll try to learn from your critiquing and hope that in the future I can post something more to your satisfaction.
I love HDR, animal and baby photos, walks in the rain, thunderstorms....oh, sorry, got side-tracked. Anything that makes another photographer excited about taking a picture and sharing it, actually. I consider it a privilege to share a piece of their world and broaden mine.
@dejongdd Well, I guess I should have seen that coming. Completely misunderstood.
Yes, I used your shots to express my point, but that in no way means I don't like your work, nor does it mean that it is poorly executed. With that said, it's also worth mentioning that not every picture is a masterpiece.
@gurry I'm sorry I over-reacted, Gary. I'm highly sensitive right now and have to admit that reading your comments did hurt just a little. But I'm a big girl and want to learn from any and all critiquing. In light of what you posted, I did a little editing on the intro to this thread. My earlier commentary did sound rather smug - totally not my intention - so I changed it to hopefully sound more humble.
Thanks for the positive comments on the other photos. As for the above cat photo, did you notice it was HDR?
I guess people have different reasons for doing this project. For me it's a diary of my day to day life, so a lot of my photos are of my family and the things we do. I love looking at a big varitey of photos which is why it's nice to follow people who take different shots. I also love the connection I've made with other 365ers.
I love this shot because I enjoy capturing action, and a real smile
And this has always been one of my favourites, because of it's candidness
@dejongdd My apologies as well. I'm a jerk sometimes without even realizing it. I gotta work on that, ya know?
And yeah, abou the kitty cat -- I had a good feeling it was HDR. Something about the white of the cat's back and the grays gave it away. Maybe I have a shining! :D
When I started this project I would describe myself as someone who likes landscapes and flowers.
After 286 days, my favorite photos to look at are landscapes and flowers.
Living in the city I love wide open spaces
and now my flowers are a bit more in your face, but that is just who I am.
I'm totally cool with kid and baby shots ~ I'm a first time grandmother after all. :) Thanks for starting this thread, Deb. I feel a sense of redemption...was starting to feel like I was picking all the totally wrong things to photograph.
@peggysirk I know exactly how you feel! I get discouraged so easily and I must say, the opposite thread did a lot of damage to my self-esteem. My intentions were to do something to help build each other up, not to tear others down. In spite of my good intentions, I still took a hit on this one though - but we're good now.
I love all the bright colors and the varying levels of lighting in your photo. She is SUCH a cutie!
@lilbudhha You may be right, but I think it did more damage than good. It definitely did little to help others improve their photography skills. If anything, it caused people to doubt themselves.
@dejongdd
That is a risk taken when posting in public forums. All the same, not sure there is much benefit to said threads, IMO. I post for my own reasons, if others do not like them, I am cool with that.
I won't post any particular photo because I like everything when it's well-executed and makes sense, or tells a story even if it's not a technically perfect photo. I also like humourous pictures.
Some people here (I'm not referring to this thread) seem to have forgotten that the site is also to try things, improve, learn, have fun.
I think moon shots are great. It's amazing that it's possible for someone to take a photo from their own home with just a handheld camera, and capture the landscape of another world in such detail and clarity. I've yet to succeed in this myself, but I do admire the skill of those who do.
@dejongdd nice thread, much more enjoyable than the negative I've got to say...I agree with @jannaellen, I love selective colouring too, especially to highlight something I really like, as in this photo of my best mate and I.
I love all sorts of subjects and styles, I really don't mind looking at anything.:) I have no 'hates' or dislikes. It's fascinating to see the lives of others. And there is always something to like in them.
I tend to get envious of the way photos have been taken - like perfect light or dof etc and then I want to emulate it. For things I really love I have one criteria - would I like it enlarged and put up on a wall? Whenever the answer is yes (and on here that is often!) I have discovered that my favourite images are often either tweaked, processed, or abstract, so I guess I tend towards 'arty' if I can use that word (though it's not quite right). A painted feel.
I truly envy those perfect photo landscapes that people do though because I'll never be able to do that I don't think! I don't get out enough for a start lol.
Meanwhile this is one of my own faves where I tried to turn a flower into a painting.
@juanita love that Juanita - I favourite a huge range of pictures - a totally eclectic mix.
I've been playing with HDR but using GIMP not a software package - and this is one I put up in response to the other thread. The top shot is faked HDR using the shot exposed at middle exposure, then copied twice as layers and tweaked to create the effects of three exposures. The bottom is the same middle shot with the bracketed shots used to do a true (subtle) HDR (hand held shots, no bracketing so I have to manually change the exposure and the clouds moved to much to use the full sky)
Well, ironically, this site has made me more open-minded and interested in photos that a year ago I would have thought "blah blah blah" to. I like pretty much everything... once. I only get annoyed when it seems like the same shot 600 times. My favorites right now are chubby babies (I am a Birth Doula, it's in my blood!) and pretty much anything marco that is sharp and clean. Vibrant colors are a plus. I like fuzzy up-close bugs. I love love love watching these kiddos growing up who are featured in parents (and grandparents) projects. There is something warm and fuzzy about getting to see children grow through the eyes of a photographer mom, dad, or grandparent. Most of all, I really enjoy watching the growth. People amaze me on this site, looking from day one to day 267.
I could approach this question from a lot of different angles, but one thing I like that I think maybe not a lot of people do is making a photo look like it's not necessarily a photo - abstractions of some kind - they make me happy.
@dejongdd@gurry - thanks Deb for posting this and thanks to both of you (you specifically, but many others not named) for coming here full-heartedly. I often feel so touched by the interactions that come up here.
@dejongdd Thanks for offering the alternative. What strikes me with the "photos I hate" thread, is that that judgment is completely subjective. And so this could be also. But why spread negativity? There's enough of that already. I guess sometimes people want to vent, and think it to be humorous, but I'd much rather put out something positive. I looked over my favs to answer your question and realized that's there's so much I do like- nature, detail, color, excellent processing/composition, dramatic lighting, human interest, children, wildlife, country life, creativity, action, black and white, still life, and what I like to call "windows on the world" shots. I try not to fav everything I think is amazing- but I wait for something to tug at my heart, intrigue me, delight my eyes, appeal to the aesthetic in me, or jump off the page and put a chokehold on my attention. So what kind of photos do I like? Good ones!!
Before I started the project I would've said i like landscapes, as I've meandered through the project I've discovered HDR and actually like doing this to landscapes but also have enjoyed results in other environments...
i adore (whatever the subject matter) golden moments (@aikiuser)
and subjects with interesting light (@andycoleburn)
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I know this wasn't on the "hated hit list" - but I adore night shots. Particularly stars and trees. In fact, I'm a little guilty of overdoing them in my project. But seriously, I could do 365 days of night shots and be quite content (if I could get out for that many night shoots:)
This is one I shot when the Northern Lights came out to play. Very subtle but they're there:)
And of course a spider!
@rayreeder @coastandcactus @wildibis @netkonnexion
(@bill_d
Your example is not what I would consider good HDR. In fact, I would consider it just the opposite.
You say the windmill is more pronounced, but, actually, it just looks like the dodge tool was carelessly used to brush a circle of lighter exposure on and around the windmill. Look at how inconsistent the lighter areas are. It looks as if a spotlight is pointed at the lower center of the blades. This is similar to the "halo" effect often seen in HDR, where darker object literally have a halo of light around them, which can be considered even more visually offensive than random highlighting.
For example, this shot is halo-rific. Look at the sky immediately above the trees. I'm nearly expecting spaceships to appear on the horizon. Where else is all that light coming from?
This is unfortunately one of the downsides to HDR software, because while compensating the darker areas, the surrounding areas are often also made lighter. Look one more time at the after-shot from a few different angles. You'll quickly see the brightest area is the windmill and the surrounding clouds. This is how you could identify the halos. The windmill shot is a very less severe example, but it still exists.
While HDR (especially when done with Photomatix) can create really exceptional effects in an image (especially with clouds and textures), those effects are more of an extreme example of HDR compositing, as compared to a simple exposure fusion that subtly imitates the faculty of dynamic exposure in the human eye, in which most light sources are properly exposed, and nothing is burning out or pure white.
In this situation, I think a well-masked windmill with a slightly increased exposure in order to reduce the high contrast, plus a little more "life" tossed into the clouds would produce a much better result. Or, go the high contrast route.
If you want to see some amazing HDR shots, I would check out www.stuckincustoms.com and www.blamethemonkey.com. These guys are pioneers and masters of the process, and their shots are always breathtaking. Plus, there is some really helpful info on both sites.
Below are a few quick faves I've chosen to alleviate any tension I might have created by writing the above.
A beautiful, golden landscape.
A perfect capture with equally perfect processing.
Remember, I said that I have in no way perfected the art of HDR so do not claim to be a professional. I was merely supporting why I choose to do some shots in HDR while others are not. If you'll look through my entire project you'll see that I do a combination of different styles, and hopefully you'll see a marked improvement from day one to day 261. (If not, I may as well quit now.)
The purpose of this thread was not to criticize those who "hate" HDR, but rather to share what types of photos we (not just me) happen to "Like". Look at the other ones that were posted in this thread and you'll see a variety of photo types - not just HDR.
All other commentary was referring to the "after" picture you posted, dated October 18th.
I hope that makes sense. Sorry for the confusion.
Yes, I used your shots to express my point, but that in no way means I don't like your work, nor does it mean that it is poorly executed. With that said, it's also worth mentioning that not every picture is a masterpiece.
I'll see you on the dashboard.
Also: I like pictures of cats, like this one:
Thanks for the positive comments on the other photos. As for the above cat photo, did you notice it was HDR?
I love this shot because I enjoy capturing action, and a real smile
And this has always been one of my favourites, because of it's candidness
And yeah, abou the kitty cat -- I had a good feeling it was HDR. Something about the white of the cat's back and the grays gave it away. Maybe I have a shining! :D
After 286 days, my favorite photos to look at are landscapes and flowers.
Living in the city I love wide open spaces
and now my flowers are a bit more in your face, but that is just who I am.
I love all the bright colors and the varying levels of lighting in your photo. She is SUCH a cutie!
Here's a couple of my HDR photos....
And B&W, selective colour, and PS processing.
I think the hate thread was meant to be fun and, perhaps, cathartic. But, such threads shoot with too wide a lens and capture more than intended.
That is a risk taken when posting in public forums. All the same, not sure there is much benefit to said threads, IMO. I post for my own reasons, if others do not like them, I am cool with that.
And anything with guns..
Some people here (I'm not referring to this thread) seem to have forgotten that the site is also to try things, improve, learn, have fun.
I tend to get envious of the way photos have been taken - like perfect light or dof etc and then I want to emulate it. For things I really love I have one criteria - would I like it enlarged and put up on a wall? Whenever the answer is yes (and on here that is often!) I have discovered that my favourite images are often either tweaked, processed, or abstract, so I guess I tend towards 'arty' if I can use that word (though it's not quite right). A painted feel.
I truly envy those perfect photo landscapes that people do though because I'll never be able to do that I don't think! I don't get out enough for a start lol.
Meanwhile this is one of my own faves where I tried to turn a flower into a painting.
I've been playing with HDR but using GIMP not a software package - and this is one I put up in response to the other thread. The top shot is faked HDR using the shot exposed at middle exposure, then copied twice as layers and tweaked to create the effects of three exposures. The bottom is the same middle shot with the bracketed shots used to do a true (subtle) HDR (hand held shots, no bracketing so I have to manually change the exposure and the clouds moved to much to use the full sky)
I really like your 'after' windmill shot btw. I meant to say that before *grins*
Photos of my kids big events:
Texture shots:
Attempting light painting:
water drops:
selective colour:
sunsets:
editing the crap out of stuff:
and so many more, great thread!
i adore (whatever the subject matter) golden moments (@aikiuser)
and subjects with interesting light (@andycoleburn)