The Unframed World
Photography Tips, Travel Photos, Photo Critiques, Interviews
As you may recall from an earlier post, to my chagrin, Marie Reine du Monde does not have a public restroom. After inventing several very post-modern dance moves, I briskly walked to the nearby Marriott hotel. This also provided Lori the chance to ask directions to beautiful Notre Dame while I visited the little boys [...]
This article, Tone Mapping Puberty, reveals how tone mapping works and explains how to use Photomatix to produce a crucial image in the development of any HDR photo.
It’s time to become a responsible post-processor. In this article we’ll discover how to properly handle and prepare your straight-out-of-camera infant RAW photos so they have the best possible chance of making it through the next stage in the HDR life cycle, the always awkward and often volatile “tone mapping puberty” stage.
Still a fully functioning Catholic cathedral, I have one important piece of advice for successfully photographing the gorgeous interior of Notre Dame in Montreal: DON”T GO DURING SUNDAY MORNING MASS!
Aside from the standard stunning shots of Notre Dame Cathedral’s sanctuary in Montreal (still processing those) there’s a lesser known private chapel in the back right corner that I knew about from a previous visit. I’ve outlined my workflow for creating this HDR photo for the more curious HDR photography enthusiasts out there. One thing I’ve been working hard at with my HDR photography is to control the glow-y effect that tone mapping in Photomatix creates.
Notice something different about these photos? Yep, you got it, I shot these HDR photos of a Vermont barn in the dead of winter without my coat on! Few, mystery solved. After a weekend in -25°F weather photographing Montreal and also dining with HDR guru Ken Kaminesky it was pure bliss to romp around in the balmy barely-sub-freezing paradise of Vermont to bracket the shots for these photographs.
Blue Hour is perfect for HDR photography, but I’m always a bit tense since it’s so brief. This time, I had done my homework so that my tripod was in position right as the Christmas Tree was turned on in Quincey Market. The resulting 6 frame HDR photo panoramic was tone mapped in Photomatix, then auto aligned, hand stitched and edited together in Photoshop.
Getting permission to photograph the Merrill Auditorium was less complicated than I originally thought. Recently, I’ve been getting into HDR photography. Like regular photographs, HDR photos need an excellent subject to look amazing. Unfortunately, unlike an abandoned building, you can’t just waltz into the Merrill Auditorium. However, I figured it couldn’t hurt to take the direct approach and it worked out perfectly.
Yesterday, I posted an HDR photo of the LLBean Hunting & Fishing lodge at sunset. Today, for the benefit of others pursuing similar HDR results, I will reveal “the magic” behind the photo. If you are into HDR photography, no doubt these Photomatix sliders and Photoshop layers will look familiar.