Road Trip!

[lokisbong]

orionid and I will be in Reno, NV Sept 17-18 and Portland, OR Sept 22-25th if anyone is about those parts.

-FTFY

Are you two flying into Reno? Or are you driving cross country? because if you drive through Tonopah Nv You could stop and say hi.

[orionid]

Flying into Sacramento, driving to Reno, Driving to San Fran, Driving to Crater Lake, Driving to Portland. Flying home.

I may have missed a stop, but that’s the Gist of it. How far is Tonopah from Reno?

[Yoyo]

Yesterday and before were Glacier National Park and today and tomorrow are Yellowstone. And people talk about unemployment like it’s a bad thing. BTW, how does that whole HDR thing work? (j/k, I’ll look it up myself.)

[lokisbong]

It’s about 240 miles south I believe. Probably a bit out of the way.

[Kestrana]

HDR? Figure out how to take bracketed exposures on your camera. Then get a copy of HDR processing software like Photomatix. Combine images using program. Then experience the HDR HOLE…

[CauseISaidSo]

Well, while we’re throwing out travel plans, I’ll be in San Diego from Aug 19-24 and then in Vegas from Aug 26-29. SD is business so I could possibly get an evening or two free; Vegas would have to be a quick drink-and-a-hello as my wife and I are entertaining my parents there for their 50th.

[chupathingie]

Then experience the HDR HOLE…

It’s funny how that has practically become a rite of passage…

[fluffybunny]

Then experience the HDR HOLE…

It’s funny how that has practically become a rite of passage…

Since I don’t do a lot of heavy post processing, I am a noob to this. Please asplain “rite of passage” and/or “HDR HOLE”.

[orionid]

Then experience the HDR HOLE…

It’s funny how that has practically become a rite of passage…

Since I don’t do a lot of heavy post processing, I am a noob to this. Please asplain “rite of passage” and/or “HDR HOLE”.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/orionid/sets/72157624103725034

This is my personal, ummm, learning experience. Compare the general appearance of the ones at the top of the page versus the general appearance of the ones at the bottom of the page. This is the HDR hole.

[Kestrana]

The HDR HOLE!

Chapman Falls HDR by kestrana, on Flickr

vs. a more recent HDR

Twisted Japanese Maple HDR by kestrana, on Flickr

[Yugoboy]

Somehow I missed the HDR hole. Mine was more of a divot. 3 or 4 pics, and I was pretty done.

Probably related to my multi-year detour into Photoshop….

[fluffybunny]

I understand. Also, love that chart.

[chupathingie]

I’ll give the HDR hole credit for one thing: it got me looking for alternatives to tone-mapping, which is really what most people are referring to when they mention HDR. That’s what shifts the colors around and produces all those surrealistic artifacts. My current fave is fusion, which I use on just about every landscape I shoot these days. AFAIK, it’s a simple substitution of the best-exposed pixels in your set of images so there is no local stretching of contrast or remapping of the pallette. The end results look very natural; well-exposed sky and shadows without tripping on the edge of the “uncanny valley”.

It also got me thinking about more traditional post-processing, ie. dark frame subtraction, flats, and making sure my shots were more systematic to allow for a semi-standard post-processing routine. Digital is noisy, especially if the shutter is open for more than a few seconds. Taming that noise was a big issue for me since I didn’t want the noise showing up in large prints.

[Barracuda]

I’ve considered looking into an HDR suite of some sort, mainly so that I can have the flexibility to ensure my HDR doesn’t end up in the HDR Hole when I do choose to shoot for HDR. For now, the ‘Edge’ presets I have for Lightroom proved a faux-HDR effect close enough for my needs when I want to go in that general direction (and absolutely keep them within the realm of moderately realistic!)

[orionid]

It’s okay to toe the line and cross the edge every once in a while. Trey Ratcliff steps into “mildly unrealistic” all the time, but his photos are absolutely beautiful, if not Fark legal.

/Edited to add disclaimer.

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