From a visit a while back…here is traditional church HDR photo. All HDR artists take this shot in every church visit. Still tough to beat. The beauty of a church and HDR are such a great combo!! Enjoy the view!!
Talke Photography Settings:
Lens: Nikon 12-24 f/4.0
Setting: Aperture Mode
Focal Length: 12.0 mm
ISO: 200
Exposure: HDR 7 Exposures (+3 to -3)
Aperture: f/11
Gear: Tripod
Post Process: Adobe CS6, HDR Efex Pro, Color Efex Pro, OnOne Software Photo Tools 2.6
From the lovely and jazzy downtown of New Orleans, LA…you can find the iconic church…St. Louis Cathedral. It is always busy…I had to clone a few people lout in this shot. Worth the visit…beautiful to see inside and out!
I searched through some old processed HDR’s and found this one of the Prague Castle Church (St. Vitus). I took this photo back in 2009 and posted it shortly after my visit. I took the same 5 brackets and re-processed them this past evening using current technology and software…and went through my standard methods for current HDR’s. A very different photo!!!
Some major differences:
1) 2009 HDR – processed with Photomatix
2) 2013 HDR – processed with HDR Efex Pro
3) Distortion from wide angle lens fixed for 2013 HDR
4) different std processing methods…sharpening, levels, contrast, etc..
Amazing to see! To me the biggest change is using HDR Efex Pro. I prefer it over Photomatix. Both software has a particular look. I have made comments in the past…HDR Efex is in my opinion a sharper cleaner HDR processing program. But as always, whatever you prefer is ok!
If you are a photographer…many times we look back at our older work and chuckle about it. Since that time we have gained experience and use new software. What we thought was a great picture now in our own eyes is just acceptable. If you have been producing HDR’s for years….give HDR-U a try!!! You may be amazed!
As a photographer…we take lots o pics! I enjoy creating art with my photos….I am sure most of you do as well. I had this shot which I processed before, but we all know that if you process a shot one day and do it the next…it can be completely different. That is the fun of post processing!
I always love high key fashion shots…to me they look cool. I have yet to pull one off…one day! So second best would be to try a high key landscape shot! Thought this one might work? Here is my first high key Infrared photo! Kinda cool? Added a frame to keep the different processing flow going!
HDR-U:
Now I want to try something I have yet to do…I will take an HDR I processed years ago…2009-2010 range and re-process it now with all the new software/technology…then compare the 2!! I’m just thinking of this idea as I type! So lets call it HDR-U (High Dynamic Range – Update)?
Look for it later this week! Maybe we can get other photogs to try an HDR-U themselves? Go for it and let me know how it goes!!
From the lovely city of Munich, Germany…if you walk around Marienplatz you can find some great architecture. A few churches, shopping, the Rathaus and much more! Hop off the U-Bahn and walk about 1/4 mile and you come across Theatine Church. Hard not to find it due to its yellowish exterior color. The outside is tough to photograph…tight quarters. Inside is the best option! Not many church interiors look bad in HDR. Enjoy your Thursday!
South of San Francisco, CA you can find a gem of a University…Stanford. It is a great place to photograph in HDR. The top place to at the university to photograph is the Memorial Church. The photo above is the view looking at the back end of the church….not many churches have back views that are amazing. If you are in the area….def stop by for a few pics!!
From the beautiful Vienna, Austria…one of the largest churches is St. Stephens. I walked into the church this day with my camera ready and set to bracket my HDR. I was able to grab these 7 brackets, then the tripod police nabbed me! At least I was able to capture this shot above!
Peter Talke Photography Settings:
Camera: Nikon D300
Lens: Nikon 12-24 f/4.0
Setting: Apeture Mode
Focal Length: 16.0mm
ISO: 200
Exposure: HDR 7 Exposures (+3 to -3)
Aperture: f/11
Gear: Tripod
Post Process: Adobe CS6, Color Efex Pro, HDR Efex Pro
One of my favorite cities in the world…Vienna. While walking around in previous visits I had taken outside shots of St. Peter’s a few times and had never gone inside. So this day I walked inside… in the middle of a sermon…you can see I was amazed at how stunningly beautiful this church was!! I had to take a photo!! The attendant gave me a scowl as I took out my camera and tripod. But St. Peter must have sent him a message from above as my name is Peter and he allowed me to take a few photographs. LOL Well at least that is my thinking. I showed the attendant a few of my wide angle shots on the back of my camera and he was hopefully impressed. I then took out my fisheye lens and quietly told him…just a few more. He nodded and I took this shot! Sweet. I thanked him and left. Churches are meant for HDR…and especially fisheye HDR! Thanks St. Peter!
Talke Photography Settings:
Lens: Nikon 10.5mm Fisheye
Setting: Aperture Mode
Focal Length: 10.5 mm
ISO: 200
Exposure: HDR 7 Exposures (+3 to -3)
Aperture: f/11
Gear: Tripod
Post Process: Adobe CS5, HDR Efex Pro, Color Efex Pro, OnOne Software Photo Tools 2.6
From Pittsburgh, PA, the Immaculate Heart Church located on Polish Hill. A beautiful and stunning church in the Burgh! This day I was shooting all over Pittsburgh with Dave DiCello (HDR Exposed) and Mike Criswell (TheaterWiz). We were HDR’ing everything in sight and while driving we saw the dome on the horizon and went up the hill. We ventured in and had a blast shooting inside!
Some info from the web: Immaculate Heart of Mary was founded in 1897 as a Polish ethnic parish. Beginning in 1885, Polish immigrants began settling on Herron Hill in Pittsburgh. Eventually so many immigrants settled there that the area was renamed Polish Hill. At first the residents attended St. Stanislaus parish in the Strip District, but by 1895, the population of Polish Hill grew to the point that a committee of local citizens petitioned the bishop for their own parish. Permission was granted and the cornerstone of a combined church, school and convent was laid in October 1896. The completed building was dedicated in August 1897.
Places 2 Explore will be quiet til next Saturday…next post will be the 24th!
Talke Photography Settings:
Lens: Nikon 12-24 f/4.0
Setting: Aperture Mode
Focal Length: 12.0 mm
ISO: 200
Exposure: HDR 7 Exposures (+3 to -3)
Aperture: f/11
Gear: Tripod
Post Process: Adobe CS5, HDR Efex Pro, Color Efex Pro, OnOne Software Photo Tools 2.6
From the lovely old city of Porto, Portugal…one of the coolest small churches I have ever seen. The ornate wood carved interior painted with a gold color. It looks stunning in HDR! The church is off the beaten path and tough to find. Its very small and it takes a bit of work to get inside. If you are ever in Porto…it is well worth the visit. Can you imagine carving all those details? Unreal!!
Talke Photography Settings:
Lens: Nikon 12-24 f/4.0
Setting: Aperture Mode
Focal Length: 12.0 mm
ISO: 200
Exposure: HDR 5 Exposures (+2 to -2)
Aperture: f/4
Gear: Tripod
Post Process: Adobe CS5, HDR Efex Pro, Color Efex Pro, OnOne Software Photo Tools 2.6
Places 2 Explore 