HDR Experiment #1-Buckingham Fountain Revisited by taffy

HDR Experiment #1-Buckingham Fountain Revisited

Project 365 diet (only one hour per day allowed) started again this morning:
1. Set alarm to get up a half hour early. Can look at 365, make comments, for 30 minutes because I'd have just been sleeping otherwise.
2. Remain committed to 365 one-hour a day diet until almost 12:30 p.m., then cheat during important meeting to look at site. Chastise myself and immediately close. Feel guilty for a few minutes.
3. Return to diet and consider docking myself a half hour. Reject idea as ridiculous.
4. Decide to save time by using one of the other photos from last night’s photo walk, but process in some way that is new to fit the photography-a-day intent.
5. Decide to learn to use HDR.
6. Realize that the diet has been blown already, so can continue to play with HDR plug in as it is great fun.
7. Recommit to start tomorrow in full force (must finish a chapter because my colleagues have put a lot of work into it already, and if we do not turn in by June 1, it will all be for nothing, and it would be my fault).

Update: Top Twenty List, #6
Wow, spectacular! Really great use on HDR without pushing it too much into unreal-looking.
May 17th, 2013  
"Reject idea as ridiculous." I so get you. Good luck on the chapter, though. Miraculously, I am unemployed (just finished my semester and I'm adjunct), so yeah, my addiction is free to be. Sigh, I'll be poor doing it. Oh, and fav, fav, fav on all that hard work today. :)
May 17th, 2013  
Taffy, this is spectacular! So dramatic, so beautiful. Wonderful composition, tones, processing... I could go on, but will just FAV.
May 17th, 2013  
Ooohhh, I loooove this!!! Fav!!
May 17th, 2013  
digging the words.
May 17th, 2013  
Wow that skyline is fabulous Taffy, love the HDR which I am a big fan of. I don't know how I would ever manage to catch up if I only had an hour a day so good for you, even with the cheating. Btw a FAV!
May 17th, 2013  
Kim
I love this! The clouds, composition and skyline all great. Fav for me.
May 17th, 2013  
Enchanting shot. Worth it!!! Fav
May 17th, 2013  
this looks really cool!
May 17th, 2013  
@darylo Ah, if you are unemployed, think of all the garden clean up you can do! But still hire someone to do the first cleanup and heavy lifting. It will take a team a few hours with all their equipment and you can get to the fun stuff! I'm counting the days -- once the chapter is done, we move to Michigan and it's photography, golf, garden, and just a bit of work -- much better balance!
May 17th, 2013  
@jsw0109 @mwbc @kimshots @elaine55 @bobfoto @melody2289 @pflaume @archaeofrog
Thank you all so much, for kind comments (about photo and words), and for the fav! I wondered if it was too over the top, but I did kind of like it so thought I'd take a chance. Loving HDR!
May 17th, 2013  
Ann
Taffy, LOL. You sound like my sister when she has a grant proposal due. This is fantastic though ! a fav
Better luck tomorrow.
May 17th, 2013  
Fantastic HDR. I've never tried, so hats off to you.
May 17th, 2013  
this is a cracking good piece of processing. The sky is awsome, the fountain looks supurb. Love it !!
May 17th, 2013  
@foxsparrow Thanks for the positive thoughts, Ann! I HAVE to do better tomorrow (and Saturday, and Sunday, and probably Monday/Tuesday)!
@anazad511 It's really fun -- just takes a little bit of planning to get the shots to work with. I recommend it!
@kevinmckay Thank you Kevin!
May 17th, 2013  
Incredible !!
May 17th, 2013  
@jodimuli Thanks so much Jodi!
May 17th, 2013  
Wonderfully captured
May 17th, 2013  
I am so behind on 365! This is beautiful & a fav. Good luck on the diet!
May 17th, 2013  
You did a fantastic job and didn't overdo the HDR. A fav.
May 17th, 2013  
@angelamartel @olivetreeann @jankoos
Thank you so much Angela, Ann, and Jan. And Ann & Jan for the fav! And Jan for the comment that I didn't overdo it.
May 17th, 2013  
fabulous, taffy. love it, and was giggling reading your blurb...FAV
May 17th, 2013  
haha oh this site is so addictive :) I'm way behind on commenting though argh!

You did a great job with the HDR, nice detail but not way overdone! I go through major HDR phases sometimes. It's fun!
May 17th, 2013  
Very well processed, not overdone and the subject is well suited to the conversion. FAV
May 17th, 2013  
Lovely processing!
May 17th, 2013  
@jaynspain Thanks Jayn. I was frustrated with myself today so in the end, had to decide to just give up and start over tomorrow. Tried to look at it with some humor to 'get over myself.'
@breigh Is is addictive -- hard to explain that to non-365ers, but I am totally and completely hooked and show all kinds of signs of addiction!
@johnmnewman Thanks so much John.
@genesis_one Thank you Corrie, for looking in on both my photos today.
May 17th, 2013  
Great HDR shot works really well. Loving your 365 diet commentary
May 17th, 2013  
Are YOU KIDDING ME?!!! Awesomely favored. I am working on the diet, too. My husband informed me that this weekend one day I spent 4 hours on 365. How is that even possible? I think that the calculations must be wrong because that is sick (says the lady who is up at 2:30 in the morning...).
May 17th, 2013  
Super shot Taffy, I know how you feel!! I have got up an hour early on my day off to catch up with folk on 365, before taking my good lady out for the day!! I love your HDR here by the way. A fav for me too.
May 17th, 2013  
Haha... Fav!!! Fav for the narrative which has me rolling in laughter.... Fav for the excellent processing...and Fav for the shot itself.
May 17th, 2013  
Stunning shot, love the words and good luck with your 'diet'. I have never managed to limit myself and imagine I could achieve many things with my time if I did.
May 17th, 2013  
Jo
It's a great shot, loving the HDR. I definitely could do with going on the 365 diet as things are beginning to slide, but it has such a grip on me!
May 17th, 2013  
Such a great shot, really need to give this HDR business a go sometime! FAV no question!
May 17th, 2013  
That's the way to use HDR! Just the right amount! Fav!
May 17th, 2013  
fabulous shot Taffy!
I so get your diet and am on a similar one.:)
May 17th, 2013  
Wonderful result!
May 17th, 2013  
Well done Taffy. Stunning shot. Fav
May 17th, 2013  
This is great HDR Taffy! I find it pretty difficult to do HDR with fast flowing water of any kind, but you did an excellent job with the fountains here!! Also, I love the evening urban setting, with so many lights in it (and none of them is too bright or too distracting)! Great job!
No, AMAZING job!!! And Fav, for sure!
May 17th, 2013  
Love the HDR here. Silly question but . . . did you take the several exposures on tripod and then process as HDR after the fact? I've never done it but my limited knowledge thinks that's how it's done. Anyway, good luck with your diet. (Asking you questions doesn't help much!)
May 17th, 2013  
Beautiful Taffy! Love your narrative!!!:D
May 17th, 2013  
Awesome! Now...back to work! ;-)
May 17th, 2013  
Stunning ! Great job with HDR, perfect 'amount'
May 17th, 2013  
Great image. Chicago, right?
May 17th, 2013  
@barbsmith Ha! You're right about needing luck to keep 365 within the one-hour diet! Happy to answer questions, though -- that's a fun part, don't you think? Anyway, yes, I had it on a tripod, but forgot how to set up bracketing, so instead I manually changed the aperture and shutter speeds about 8 times, then picked the four to use in the HDR processing.
May 17th, 2013  
bmt
Amazing! Love the lights of the sky, water, and fountains contrasted against the darks of the cityscape, clouds, and water.
May 17th, 2013  
Great night capture,and super HDR processing!!
May 17th, 2013  
Blow the diet and just enjoy it. You are a long time dead my friend and retirement is fun when you have your camera. Fresh adventure everyday.
May 17th, 2013  
Lovely night shot! :)
May 17th, 2013  
Stunning job! Fav:) I really want to learn the HDR thing 2:)
May 17th, 2013  
Nicely done. fav. You are Michael Elliott of Chicago. Is this one image HDR or stitching multiple shots ?
May 17th, 2013  
Stunning! fabulous processing ..... fav :D
May 17th, 2013  
Beautiful! fav
May 17th, 2013  
Stunning!!!!
May 17th, 2013  
Great shot... the water looks amazing against that background.
May 17th, 2013  
Jim
I love your photo. I love your story. And I love Chicago. So I'm a new follower!
May 18th, 2013  
Oh Man!!! Crazy crazy gorgeous. I'd like this framed! Fav!!
May 18th, 2013  
Just so impressed with this. I want to be able to do it...
May 18th, 2013  
Love your commitment story. Inspiring.
May 18th, 2013  
great collors
May 18th, 2013  
@amandal I can easily spend 4 hours at a stretch and not notice the time going by! It's so hard to stop.
May 18th, 2013  
Magnificent and fav. I like HDR if used sparingly. This is a great example of a good, not overblown, HDR.
May 18th, 2013  
@frankhymus Yes, it's Chicago. A great city!
May 18th, 2013  
This is amazing! Love the slow shutter speed with the hdr! Awesome! Fav!
May 18th, 2013  
Beautiful executed and fabulous cityscape image. And you know I've done a few in NYC haha and this is great -Fav!
May 18th, 2013  
Fav!!! I'm going to Chicago on Suday, I have to try!!! Amazing image :-)
May 18th, 2013  
congrats on the PP... lucky for me because I got to see....
love love your commentary ... I need that one hr. rule...like that's going to happen... I think 365 is like an addictive drug ... going to check out your shots and follow ... that means I'll just spend more time here . The people here are enablers ... Oh and double FAV
May 18th, 2013  
@mijade Thanks for the fav and have a great time here on Sunday! My father was a pharmacist back when small independent pharmacies thrived, so my first job was dusting shelves in his store at the age of 10 (he paid me a nickle a shelf to dust and line up the bottles -- starting my obsessive behavior no doubt!). Enjoy your time in our city and I hope you get to stay long enough to visit several of our wonderful sights (Buckingham Fountain plaza is best in the evening, about 8:15 to capture dusk and then night shots).
May 18th, 2013  
Ha ha - great pic, but loving the 365 diet idea! (That must mean I'm on a 365 starvation versus binge diet - haven't looked or commented for more than a week and now trying to madly catch up!)
May 18th, 2013  
@boxplayer And I'm seeing that Saturday morning is SO hard to stay on the diet. I've already blown it and I have a photo meetup tonite! Forcing myself to close out now...keep getting tempted back. Good luck catching up -- I've enjoyed viewing your photos just now. Sorry for not doing more commentary!
May 18th, 2013  
Beautiful. Fav!
May 18th, 2013  
The HDR processing makes this so dynamic! A fun shot!
May 19th, 2013  
Great idea on the HDR! I didn't think of that, but it really helps! Fav
May 19th, 2013  
So much awesome going on in this shot, fave!
May 19th, 2013  
another fantastic shot! love the hdr and great atmosphere created! fav'ing this one too!
May 19th, 2013  
WOW!!!! Amazing! Spectacular! Stunning! oh, and FAV!
May 22nd, 2013  
LOVE the shot - and I am so with you on the resolve - good luck tomorrow!!!!
May 22nd, 2013  
Congrats on the double TT, Taffy! Wonderful work!!
May 24th, 2013  
Congrats on this week's TT, Taffy! It definitely belongs there :)
May 24th, 2013  
Congrats on double TT this week!
May 24th, 2013  
Double congrats on TT! awesome shots!
May 24th, 2013  
Again congrats x 2, have to put it here too.
May 24th, 2013  
Wow - I love this one - how did I miss it? Have to fav it even though it's a bit late!
May 24th, 2013  


@pflaume Thanks especially, Lisa -- you were the reason I found out I was on it -- what a great way to start the day!
@lunaksi @michaelelliott @wind_of_the_sothern_sea Thank you Lunaksi, Michael, and Arefin -- I'm honored to have been up there in your company!
May 25th, 2013  
@busylady Thanks Judith -- it was incredible to see my images there -- I never had imagined that this would happen!
May 25th, 2013  
Congrats on the TT !!----well deserved :)
May 25th, 2013  
How the heck did i miss this Amazing shot!....Massive congrats on TT & FAV : )
May 25th, 2013  
Kim
Congrats on making the Top 20!
May 25th, 2013  
Magnficient Top Twenty shot. 6/20! :)))))
May 25th, 2013  
Fav! Your narrative made me laugh, but I'm really intrigued by how you created this image! Lessons?
May 26th, 2013  
YES TT! w00t!!!
May 27th, 2013  
@jyokota Of course -- but if I show you how I did it, it won't look nearly as impressive -- a fair amount of luck involved.
May 27th, 2013  
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