RGB - Barcelona, Originally uploaded by Mor (bcnbits). Click on pic, see it in Flickr.
I found tons of great landscapes today, but I was growing weary of scenics...so this filled the bill nicely for something different. While HDR clearly improved this pic, it is not the best in the technical sense...but it also proves that a pic can connect with you whether or not its technically sound. The pic is a bit soft all over, but the colors are the thing that makes it happen (that and the bit of laughter coming from the open door). I think the photographer knows this too, judging from the title. Enjoy it in large too, but I believe this is the rare HDR pic that is better enjoyed in the size above (why is that?).
Wow. If you saw this pic out of the blue, you'd swear it was a painting. Very well done. Here it is in large.
Yes...two Thrillers today because in the 232 pics for this search word, there was no sufficiently bad pic that I felt I could really hang the Chiller tag on it, and so I figured that on a Friday you'd prefer to see a couple of great shots anyway. Two things about this shot...its totally impossbile without HDR (the exposure is great both on the mountains and under the overhanging leaves), and its got that just-painted-in-oils look about it. Three things...I love the long shadows. They put you in both a place and a time of day. Of course it's even better viewed in large.
What a great pic this is...almost too surreal to believe, except that it is an HDR. And then I came to find out that this was taken by spudart. This makes spudart the first photographer to have at least one pic chosen as a Thriller and a Chiller. Congrats there, Spud! I don't know which accomplishment to be more proud of, but here is your Thriller pic in large.
Yep. A kitchen light bulb after burning pizza in the oven. This is up there in the annals. Rivaled only by another pic of this Flickr set..."cheese out of control". He says he "found it in someone's refrigerator". Note to self...be careful who you invite over for dinner, especially if they want to bake a pizza or spend some time rummaging in your fridge...with a camera.
I should have guessed there would be a great HDR shot of Monument Valley, but this one is still stunning. The HDR obviously enhances detail in the foreground, midground, and background due to the ideal exposure everywhere. Well done! And here it is in large on black.
I guess you could call this an original. HDR really brings out the grease sludge detail. Nastey [sic], or is it more like Nasty (sick)?
Originally uploaded by David Giral -=ThePretender=-. Click on pic, see it in Flickr.
This kind of pic (cityscape atop tall buildings at night) is certainly a staple of HDR work, but this pic is one of the best I've seen. It is, of course, an absolute must see in large on black.
Some shots introduce themselves to your neural cortex with great rudeness. I am convinced that the resultant synaptic overload spills over into other portions of the brain. Case in point: my inital and immediate reaction to this shot was a cough.
You all know by now that I can sometimes offer nonstandard fare on the weekend. So in addition to my regular posts below, I posted this one above. Although this shot cannot be used as a Thriller (there's just too much noise), I thought it was just too interesting to pass up. My geologist friends will take note that this is a geothermal hotspot which creates an "oasis" in an otherwise wintery scene. I find it beyond fascinating that the spatial dimensions of a geothermal hotspot can be mapped botanically with such a precise footprint. Very cool...mother earth at work. I guess it shows that climate doesn't come from above the ground exclusively. And where in the world is this gem?...Iceland of course. Here it is in large, where you'll see the noise becomes noticeable.
This search word came up with way more HDR images that I predicted (1,687 pics, and no, I did not look at them all...that's not part of the game). I chose this pic as the day's Chiller, but their were many pics along the same lines (like this or this). I have concluded that many folks must be driven to capture shadows like this for some reason, a fact supported by the photographer's quote on the Flickr page: "This had some nice shadows on the ground." To each, his/her own.
I am finding that my internal reaction to the various Chiller selections runs the gamut from disdain to laughter. For this one, it's somewhere around a yawn.
Here is a real treat. A 9 exposure HDR that is close to perfect with unbelievable subject matter. This is an example of how exciting HDR can be. And about the light/dark patch in the water...the photographer bhophoto said..."In case you're freaking out about the darkish matter under the water...it's seaweed." It's absolutely astounding IN LARGE ON BLACK BACKGROUND. And just take a guess where this was taken...
Don't know exactly why the actual location of this shot freaked me out more that the seaweed in the water, but it did. I thought for sure with "under" as the search word that this had to be from Australia. Came to find out it was taken it was taken in Ulsan. Ulsan? Yes, Ulsan...Of course. It took me a little longer to figure out that Ulsan is on the southeastern coast of South Korea. Totally unexpected. Here's the link to the park where it was taken. I consider this the "sumthin' new" thing that I learned today.
Ugggh....more halo burn in. This ruined what could have been a terrific shot. Burn your retinas on this in large if you want. In it, you can see a strange HDRtifact of a "ghost" parent lifting a toddler on the bridge between the two light poles on the right. Must have caught them just as Scotty was beaming them up to the Enterprise.
Damn! It's that Iceland again! First came Gulfoss, now Dettifoss. I REALLY have to go there. I am getting the idea that Iceland is the ultimate place to go for "foss". And for the true sense of grandeur in this pic, make sure you see it in large.
A truly remarkable pic. There is even a tiny little person at the top for scale. And its remarkable in another way in that you get a real sense of the Atlantic ridge rift in this pic.
Heavy heavy HDR processing weights down a pic so much. Either that or this is a beyond-purple ozone smog day.
I love lighthouses, but, then again, who doesn't? However, this one is a bit different. The warm glow of the red light on the walls inside the cupola is fantastic, especially when set against the coldness of the overall subject. U gotta visit the Flickr page too...the effort put into posting the history of this lighthouse deserves the Thriller status in and of itself. Here it is in large size.
Yowza. Look at that overcooked halo on the right and the mud in the sky. This is the type of thing that gives HDR a bad name.
Definitely takes you to a happy place. A lot of neat compositional elements coming together in this pic and I can literally hear the running water. This one is really cool in large on black where it gives you the true sense of massiveness of the large tree. If you visit his Flickr page, ojaipatrick has some really excellent pics.
Entitled "HDR Dolphin". Hmmm....I think I can make one out. Good thing this wasn't taken at Loch Ness.
HDR Church. Originally uploaded by Ochileer. Click on pic, see it in Flickr.
When the textures and colors are right, churches make for great HDR (both inside and out). This one is superb. The blue door is most important in this shot, giving it a third block of color and a very symbolic focal point. A must see in large.
A poor HDR in that the foreground detail is not even enhanced here. But the larger problem can be summed up in the thinking (using the term loosely) behind the shot...Okay, you look up one morning and the sky is a nice color. You pick up your camera and look in the viewfinder: "Wires....yeah wires...what I need is a great shot of the wires." See them large here.
Take note, you can actually order this pic on the Flickr page(?!). But I wouldn't bother, because (in all seriousness) you can view copius quantities of really nice sunrise pics right here instead.
Hai Carumba, there were some really good hotel HDRs. Hard to believe it came down to choosing one of Caesar's Palace. I did not think I would put this one up at first, but it was the Maxfield Parrish twilight sky that got me in the end (Ironic, because many of Parrish's paintings have always looked like photos to me.). This is an absolute must see in large size.
Uhh, some may like the shot and think it worthy of hanging on the wall (see the comments on Flickr), but others may think this could be a reason to stay away from acid. I do know the HDRtifacts bug me. I must admit, though, that the background makes big difference on this one. It is slightly more tolerable when posted here because of the black background, but viewed on white it's kinda hard to look at.
The vacation I spoke of yesterday took me to Costa Rica. This one above is another classic Stuck in Customs shot. It may or may not the the best of today's search, but I picked it because I know exactly where this was taken from. The road in the lower left went to the hotel we stayed at...with a terrific view of the Volcano Arenal. Best seen in large.
As I mentioned, today's search word was inspired by my recent vacation. And I have to say that, on balance, this pic is not as deficient as the typical Chiller, but I had to be select something. There were only 66 pics that came up in the search, and this was the lowest of the lot...proving, at least in some measure, that Costa Rica is a beautiful country and its kinda hard to take a bad pic there.
Sorry for the delay in postings, but I've been away on vacation. I missed my dogs. There were 683 shots in this search. Dogs are usually a good subject, but not necessarily for HDR (there are a good number of overblown HDR halo shots of dogs on Flickr). You usually need an HDR-worthy context to make a good HDR shot of a pup. The above pic is a good example. And here's a runner up and an honorable mention for today (because I like dogs).
The note on the pic says, "When I first saw this dog I thought it was real, but it's a stuffed plush." How long did it take to notice that, I wonder. And here's another one that I almost picked because there is something a wee bit disturbing about a glamour shot for a dog. And I couldn't help but notice how the glamour dog could have been the very same dog as the one on top of the truck...oh, but it's a stuffed plush. I forgot.
Stumble It!
