Sunday, February 24, 2008

February 25, HDR Thriller (enjoy)


Weekend ahead! Enjoy it!, uploaded into FLickr by Giorgos ~. Click on pic to see it in Flickr.

The Greek Islands are on the "go to" list for sure. HDR processing here really does a pretty remarkable job enhancing the detail in the rock texture. I know some geologists who might really like ths one for that reason. GOTTA SEE IT IN LARGE ON BLACK for the full effect.

Saturday, February 23, 2008

February 23, 2008 HDR Thriller (lookout)


Rock City, Tn-B&W HDR, uploaded into Flickr by Web Cowboy. Click on pic to see it in Flickr.

Wow, that black and white can up and grab you sometimes. A MUST SEE IN LARGE ON BLACK. A very cool shot, but I am not sure what the waterfall is actually falling "into" or "onto".

Thursday, February 21, 2008

February 20, 2008 (flu)


And then the night comes, uploaded into Flickr by Nina_999. Click on pic to see it in Flickr.

The Flu bug has hit me hard, so this will be a quick one. Liked this shot (from Finland), but am sorry there is not large verson available.

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

February 19, 2008 HDR Thriller (inside out)


Japanese Cooking, a Flickr upload by /\ltus. Click on pic to see it in Flickr.

I've not done this before in 238 posts...I am reprising a photo. This one appeared in a post from the very first month I started this blog using the term "warm". It showed up again in this search, and I somehow regard sort of like an old friend. So I am going to post it again for those who may not have seen it the first time around. Definitiely A MUST SEE IN LARGE ON BLACK. I think this is just a sensational shot that shows so much of HDR's positive qualities. Look at the soil texture, at the wood grain, the embers, the pot texture, the pot shadow. It's all very real and very zen.

Monday, February 18, 2008

February 18, 2008 HDR Thriller (light)


chasing shadows, originally uploaded by tudor tigau. Click on pic to see it in Flickr.

Magical. Every now and then a true jawdropper comes through that is a perfect example of why I do this blog. This shot is definitely in that club. TRULY AWESOME IN LARGE ON BLACK! Where's it from?...from Romania in the Transylvania region. A perfect use of HDR and extremely well done...thank you, tudor tigau.

Sunday, February 17, 2008

February 17 HDR Thriller (Kosovo)


when sun comes up, uploaded into Flickr by azem. Click on pic to see it in Flickr.

It's one of those days where a search word presents itself...today it's because Kosovo declared its independence. I have no special connection to Kosovo, but I figure that there are a lot of people for which this is supremely important and who are doing some heavy celebrating tonight. The search produced just one pic, but, boy, is it a good one...and good for Kosovo. GOTTA SEE IT IN LARGE to fully appreciate it.

Saturday, February 16, 2008

February 16, 2008 HDR Thriller (hallelujah)


It's raining light, Hallelujah!, originally uploaded by Paco CT. Click on pic to see its Flickr page.

Sometimes you see a photo, and you are just glad that someone was there to capture it before it was gone...VERY POWERFUL IN LARGE ON BLACK.

The search word tonight came from listening to the late great Jeff Buckley's version of "Hallelujah" (the now defiinitive version of this Leonard Cohen classic ). Embedded below if you care to listen. It'll have to hold you a couple of days too, because I am heading out of town...likely w/o access to the web for a bit.




Jeff Buckley-Hallelujah.flv
Uploaded by Rock-90s

Friday, February 15, 2008

February 15, 2008 HDR Thriller (busy)


Guildford..24 Nov 2007, uploaded into Flickr by strussler.

Missed a day, but back today with a quick post...one with an unusual perspective. GOTTA SEE IT IN LARGE ON BLACK. Usually there is extraordinary depth in HDR photos. For some reason, this one seems foreshortened...appearing to bring the background right up into the foreground. I think it's because the level of detail does not recede with distance in this one. I like it.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

February 13, 2008 HDR Thriller (country)

Foggy winter morning, Broughton, Cambridgeshire, England. Uploaded into Flickr by mmayson.


Very well done image here. I really love the light and the sky. HAVE A LOOK IN LARGE ON BLACK, and see the rather odd placement of the cemetary stones all over. The combination of HDR treatment plus the fog gives the church the look of an illustration rather than a photo.

Monday, February 11, 2008

February 11, 2008 HDR Thriller (sea)

Haystack Rock. Uploaded into Flickr by johopo (John). Click on pic to see it in Flickr.

With all of the closed-in shots I've been selecting lately, I was really needing a majestic landscape. Got a nice one here, I think. But you really HAVE TO SEE IT IN LARGE TO GET THE HDR EFFECT. I have been to Portland (a nice place), but never got to Cannon Beach to see this, so this will have to do for now.

Sunday, February 10, 2008

February 10, 2008 HDR Thriller (alley)

Day Or Night... Uploaded into Flickr by Orcinus O.. Click on pic to see it in Flickr.

A "twofer" of great HDR Photos today...from the same photographer. Both were taken in the old city of Hvar, Croatia. The textures look almost too real...like they are part of a movie set. And as usual both are much better large:
PHOTO 1 (Above) IN LARGE ON BLACK
PHOTO 2 (Below) IN LARGE ON BLACK

Walking In The Wind... Uploaded into Flickr by Orcinus O.. Click on pic to see it in Flickr.

AND...about Hvar, I found out that they are so proud of their weather that they guarantee it:

When it snows, accommodation in Hvar's hotels is free.
Also, from November to March, hotels offer special discounts:
-when it rains for more than three hours
-when it's foggy; or
-when the temperature is below 10°C (50 deg F)

I think that's a slap at London.

So just for fun I checked tomorrow's forecast for Hvar, Croatia:

Monday Feb 11: Scattered Clouds. High: 42° F. / 6° C. Wind NE 8 mph. / 14 km/h.

Looks like lunch could be on the house tomorrow.

Saturday, February 9, 2008

Februrary 10, HDR Thriller (sweep)


Old Man Willow, uploaded into Flickr by Mark Grealish. Click on pic to see it in Flickr.

This photo conjures things from dark corners. It may be one of those rare HDR shots that I prefer in a regular size, but it definitely needs a black background. Here it is IN REGULAR SIZE ON BLACK, and here it is IN LARGE ON BLACK.

Friday, February 8, 2008

February 8, 2008 HDR Thriller (square)


Another model of our local square, uploaded into flickr by stevacek. Click on pic to see it in Flickr.

Here's a pretty cool treat that comes up from time to time in these searches. FIRST, HAVE A LOOK IN LARGE ON BLACK. This is not a model with play figures. It's a real town square that is post-processed in both HDR and "Tilt-Shift" fake model processing. The Tilt-Shift processing artificially shortens the focal length, tricking the eye into thinking it's a short-focus toy model. Thanks, stevecek.

Makes me remember this previous post, my favorite Tilt-Shift HDR Shot.

Thursday, February 7, 2008

February 7, 2008 HDR Thriller (landscape)


Grand Teton, uploaded into Flickr by James Neeley. Click on pic to see it in Flickr.

There is a world of difference looking at the above shot and the LARGE ON BLACK VERSION. Definitely an entrancing gawker in large. And here's another related shot, also by James Neeley, that really shows HDR at work...just look at the incredible detail in the shadow area on the left side...I find it totally amazing that there is such detailed information stored in a dark (virtually unexposed) portion of a photo that only comes out when the HDR software teases it out.

The search word today was inspired by a pretty cool photo blog I saw...French Landscapes.

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

February 6, 2008 HDR Thriller (dramatic)

The Church... Uploaded into FLickr by gastronauten. Click on pic to see it in Flickr.

Pretty cool shot here of a church in Norway. MUST SEE IN LARGE ON BLACK. Getting a sky backdrop like this can make a huge difference between a good and a great shot. I like this one a lot, but I actually have a slight preference its sister shot because of the surreal foreground.

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

February 5, 2008 HDR Thriller (ray)


A ray of light, uploaded into Flickr by Giorgos ~. Click on pic to see it in Flickr.

"Inside-the-church" shots are a frequent HDR subject. I am not always partial to them unless they are very well done. This one is obviously one. GOTTA SEE IT IN LARGE ON BLACK. Just terrific detail enhancement going on here.

Tick mark for that trip to Rome...but still I think Iceland is first on that "go to" list.

I am Somebody! I am Somebody!

Just a note to let you know that this blog is now being picked up via RSS feed by W3streams.com as their HDR Pic of the Day Blog. It's a pretty cool site of various categorized pics of the day. Check it out. Kinda makes me feel a bit like Navin R. Johnson...



"I am not a bum...I'm a jerk"

Monday, February 4, 2008

Februrary 4, 2008 HDR Thriller (spirit)


cote d'azur bormes-les-mimosas, uploaded into Flickr by delmez92. Click on pic to see it in Flickr.

Wow. One of those shots you just have to stare at....AMAZING IN LARGE ON BLACK! So many cool things about this photo, and the HDR processing hardens the detail to an amazing degree.

Sunday, February 3, 2008

February 3, 2008 HDR Thriller (18-1)


Mystical station, originally uploaded by Jsome1. Click on pic to see it in Flickr.

Sorry, Pats. I was rooting for ya to finish 19-0, but it just didn't happen. Liked the results of the search though...just 37 pics came up, and this was clearly the best, especially the arching girders above the train. GOTTA SEE IT IN LARGE ON BLACK FOR FULL EFFECT.

Of course, maybe 18-1 was better for me because there was just one pic that comes up with a "19-0" search.

Saturday, February 2, 2008

February 2, 2008 HDR Thriller (blue)


Falling up through reflections, uploaded into Flickr by WarzauWynn. Click on pic to see it in Flickr.

With multiple reflections involved, I'm not sure I fully know everything that is going on in this photo. Pretty neat. Please have a look: ON BLACK, and LARGE ON BLACK

The confusion it creates is a little reminiscent of this one from the archives.

Friday, February 1, 2008

February 1, 2008 HDR Thriller (green)

Green lake. Uploaded into Flickr by wili_hybrid. Click on pic to see it in Flickr.

A mountain Lake near Uyuni, Bolivia. Pretty neat. A REAL SIGHT IN LARGE ON BLACK. Don't know much about Bolivia, except it's the place where Butch and Sundance went to start over. One of many memorable scenes in that movie has them getting off a train in Middle of Nowhere, Bolivia...well whad'ya know....a train, in the middle of nowhere in the same Flickr photoset.

Looked into this a bit more and found out that this train is from a strange Bolivian train cemetary...and it's located on the largest salt flats in the world (100km x 120 km).

Butch: Sheesh, all Bolivia can't look like this.
Sundance: How do you know? This might be the garden spot of the whole country! People may travel hundreds of miles just to get to this spot where we're standing now. This might be the Atlantic City, New Jersey of all Bolivia for all you know...
Butch: You'll feel a lot better after you've robbed a couple of banks.

The real story?