"Eternal Ebb and Flow"

My first post from Hawaii was this location with a person standing at the shore. Someone mentioned their uncertainty about including a figure. No doubt, I took many more frames of this beach without people. This one displays the effect I wanted, the flowing of the water among the rocks as it goes back out. This is a blend of two, one for the sky and the second for the shoreline and the distant hill (Koko Head Crater). The reason I execute blends is primarily because I like to retain detail, even where the grad filters would leave a distinct shadow across the hill that rises above the horizon. I haven't used my grads for over a year and a half, and I don't miss them at all. Yes, blending requires more processing work and uses more flash card memory and more hard disk space, but the control over final image results is my main reason. Grads are expensive, they scratch easily, they add unnecessary surfaces over the lens, affecting image quality, and they can be cumbersome while in the field. Thanks for your time and your thoughts! Make sure to click the preview for a Larger view.

Thanks for your impressions!

I think you've achieved a very beautiful image here. I've just recently gotten into HDR myself, and I find that I much prefer the HDR images that look more realistic vs. the ones that look too obviously processed (i.e. colors and light that would never be found in reality). Your photo has very natural (albeit enhanced) colors and the lighting is clean and clear, bringing out all of the details you'd expect to see. Very well done. I'm putting this one into my favorites.

Thanks Michael! I know what you mean. Most HDR generated by HDR software or plugins is cartoonish, with haloes and bizarre looking clouds. The problem with conventional HDR is that multiple frames of the sky are blended. Meanwhile clouds move, so the result is a mixture of the clouds in different locations, which creates unnatural patterns. Also, most HDR blends lack white and black points, so the contrast is reduced. Once again, unnatural looking. I have found that two or three exposures blended with layer masks gives a wide range of tones while remaining true to the actual scene. Some devotees of HDR software use up to 8 different exposures set a stop apart, which is overkill I think. Two to three exposures is all that is needed to capture an entire range, even with a very dynamic scene such as one with direct sun and shadows. Thanks for your kind comment and for placing this into your favs folder!

Mark... Whether 1 frame or 8, the final judgment (IMO) is - does it look real. Your method is the best I've seen for blending and returning a tonal range that equates to the human eye. So many of the beautiful shots here on PN, upon close examination, show a marvelously detailed and bright foreground with a sun that has already lost all it's punch behind the horizon. Obviously, in real life, the foreground would be much darker. All that to say the tonal ranges in this shot look absolutely real to the point of being there.

 

The lady in the first shot gave a different perspective and focal point, garnered a lot of attention - who is she, why is she there alone, what is she looking at, and was an image that solicited thought. This shot is just raw beauty (although I'd zap the distant towers) that makes the viewer go - Ahhhh, wish I were there!

 

Thanks for sharing with us... Mike

 

 

Hey Mike, Thanks!! The full sized file has been cleaned up and towers and guardrails have been cloned out. I just put this one up before I got to the menial tasks at hand. As always, thanks so much!

I like your HDR style and will keep an eye on your portfolio to get ideas for my own. :-)

I love taking seascapes myself and I like this wonderful image very well of the Pacific Coastline. A natural looking scene in HDR which is probably difficult to achieve particularly in a scene such as this where there is continuous movement in the water and still come up with excellent details. Best regards! - Lester

Hey Lester, as always Thanks for stopping by. Thanks again to Michael!

Beautiful Mark. The dynamic range and the colors are superb. Thanks for sharing and thanks for the comment. Regards-Jim

Mark, thank you for time sharing regarding techniques and methods. Yes, it must look "real" to the eye to work within the mind. Your shots achieve that "realness". I have shot with ND filters (helpful in the desert), and I have shot without and used layer masks. I suspect I am gradually moving away from the ND filters but I still shoot both ways on occasion. I am scheduled to spend a week on Kauai in June and am viewing your work as excellent idea generators. Best Regards.

You blending here is impeccable. Your composition and processing just couldn't be better. Well done, Mark.