I was planning on holding off on more HDR shots today.  Instead I was going to write about my portable photo lab.  There’s so much I can do in the Airstream’s space, and the equipment takes almost no room.  Well, except those darned books….  

I’ll write about my portable photo lab later.  Instead we’ll talk a little more about the HDR shots.  I know, more strange photos, right?  Sure, if you want to call them strange.

Last night I walked into the Granite Dells once again (shocking).  Strange wispy clouds were covering the skies once again.   I thought I might find some interesting shots.  Once again I set out to create a few unique HDRs that really relay what the Dells are like.  See, I’ve never been satisfied with photos of the Dells.  I never feel like the depth and scale of the rock formations gets relayed with standard shots.

So, I set up to do my HDRs.  The first two photos that you’re seeing here today are shots that went into the first HDR on this page.  One over exposed photo, one under exposed photo, and the one missing with a centered exposure.  In the end, with 3 photos in hand I generated the next photo…..

As you can see, this HDR seems to be more than a sum of it’s parts.  That’s why HDRs interested me in the first place.  The fact you can really bring out the contrast and detail of a scene blows my mind!

What’s nice is that you can see so much more than you would with a standard snap shot.  Normally, a sunset photo will yield neat skies and dark shadowed mountains.  Not with the HDR technique.  You can show the foreground as well, really providing the detail of the scene.  Just plain exciting, don’t you think?

Creating my HDRs isn’t super time consuming.  But keep in mind.  I don’t consider any of these a final product yet.  Give me time.  These are just the first pass with little work.  The next step to really get great art prints out of these is to work with the histogram, ensure accurate color, and make sure the HDR isn’t over the top.

With HDR you can do really accurate photos.  Or you can create almost cartoonish images that go beyond the reality of the scene.  I’d like to fall closer to the accurate scene.  Maybe with a little extra “pop” that makes a viewer stop and say, “Wow!”  Personally I’ve been saying that a lot lately as I learn about this craft (and it is a craft for sure).

Well, that’s it for today.  Hope you enjoyed seeing the photos that go into an HDR.  For your viewing pleasure I’ve included a second HDR from last night.  Just plain fun!

Oh, and by the way……with these types of shots I have to ask you……….

Isn’t my back yard super cool?  :)  I think it is!

This morning I had to get up and head out extremely early. More classes down in Phoenix. And in the future….a flight for a week of training elsewhere…..in the cards apparently. Wow, I used to fly constantly back in the “cell phone” daze…..

So, do you really want to hear about today’s class, the long ride to Phoenix, the extreme heat down there, etc, etc? Nah. You probably don’t.

Oh, and it was hot down there. Good grief…we headed to lunch and walked to the lunch spot. So hot….boiling inside quickly! Lunch was a salad, as nothing at the restaurant fit within my needs. Not a bad salad though….and it was hot……oh, I wasn’t supposed to talk about this…..

How about the latest HDR photos? Ah yes, that’s much more fun!

Sunday night I shot several series to create the two photos in today’s post. The first one is my favorite of the two, but it still needs some work. Due to a lens flare there’s a spot I’m unhappy with. But I’ll correct it.

The second shot was taken right before the sun went down. There was a lot of pink and yellow going on, and the overall lighting really impacted the look of the Granite Dells.

Of course each of these photos is really a compilation of 3 exposures of each scene. They’re pretty neat, but nowhere near finished. Just the beginning of my HDR trek with each photo.

If dinner gets finished quickly I’ll head up into the rocks and try a few more exposures tonight. See, there’s some funky cloud cover again today, and I’m betting it would lend to interesting HDRs.

Oh, and the second shot has a similar version posted a few days ago. Similar, but not the same. Did a little additional tweaking on it. Still, I like the first shot better……

Earlier in the week the site next to me opened up.  My neighbors Bill and Shari finally moved into their new house.  They’ve been waiting here for months.  Actually, the house was supposed to be done last September.  Just a little late I’d say.

When they rolled out earlier in the week I felt bad to see my neighbors go.  Then I realized something…..Their site is so much cooler than mine.  It’s huge.  Extra parking.  Set back from the road.  Better view…..hmmmmmmm….what to do?

I stopped by the office the day after they pulled out just to see what the story was on the site.  Apparently another resident had dibs on the site, however they might not be moving to it after all.  Pretty positive, but no go ahead.

One day later I received a knock on my door.  One of the park owners stopped by to let me know the site was mine if I wanted it.  I didn’t play it subtle here.  No point.  I quickly said, “YES!”

We set up the move date for Sunday, as it was my next day off.  Moving when working is a pain.  So I left it to a free day.  Good plan.

You know the rest about the move if you read yesterday’s post.  I actually hitched up several hours early, moved myself over, and then spent a good amount of time running around getting ready for a little gathering at the Airstream.  Of course, after errands I spent a while prepping the site for guests.

Sadira pointed out that I had yet to put my Flamingos out.  With this new site I decided it was indeed time to put the flamingos out.

For those who don’t know, Airstreams and Flamingos go together like peanut butter and chocolate.  So many photos from old Airstream rallies show the signature flamingo in front of the Airstream.  I’ve had them with me through my journey, but never popped them out at a site….until now.

Our plan for the evening was to have a sizable cook out for many friends.  Unfortunately, 4 didn’t show.  Dina was sick, and that kept 3 people home.  Megan had other plans involving some planting with her mom.  That was all ok.  We still had a full picnic table, and it was fun!

After dinner we headed up into the Dells to take a few photos.  Tony and I have been trying to get together for months to take a few photos.  Never enough time.  Finally we had a few moments, so we headed out.

Rather than creating the standard Dells photo I decided to try my hand with the HDR images once again.  Given all the reading I’ve been doing I thought I might be able to create something a little more interesting.  And I think the photos came out well.

Also I decided to create a regular shot and an HDR shot to show you the difference.  So, we’ve got one photo of Tony taking pictures.  Then I created another one of him with 3 exposures and generated an HDR.  You’ll see some differences right off the bat.

The first photo (above) is a single shot at 0EV on my light meter on the camera.  It’s a pretty neat photo.  Strange clouds rolling in, the sun setting behind me, and my friend firing away with his camera up above.  With what I’ve learned in the 7 Point System I could get this photo even better, but didn’t bother.  Just wanted to offer the comparison.

The second photo of the same scene is actually a compilation of 3 photos.  -2EV, 0EV, & +2EV on the meter.  Then the photos were merged in Photomatix and tone mapped.  I kept it pretty simple and didn’t over do it on the conversion.  I could have made the shot even starker, and more “cartoonish” if I wanted to.

Resetting the white point and black point, increasing the strength of the HDR, and setting smoothing higher were the only actions taken on the HDR shot.  The clouds are heavier with contrast, the rocks aren’t as bright as the ones in the original, and overall I think the HDR catches my eye more.

Still, HDR isn’t for everything.  As I read more about it I learn where I should and shouldn’t use it.  My journey into this new medium is a lot of fun.  If only I had more time to go shooting…..anyone want to sponsor me in my new experimental hobby? 

Well, there you have it.  A much more detailed accounting of yesterday’s activities!  Been just a little busy.  That’ll continue for the rest of the week.  Tomorrow I head into Phoenix for another meeting, then more work during the week, and finally a visit to the doctor on Friday.  Ah, such an exciting week ahead of me!

Well, moving day has come and gone.  Just like that.  New spot….bigger spot….better views…..and room for an awning. 

This morning I did the standard “day of rest” chores.  Laundry, reorganizing, etc.  But early on the folks in the site I was moving to hitched up and headed out.  Whoops….I’d planned on moving at noon.  Since they headed out early I decided to strike while the iron is hot.

There was no iron involved, however it was rather hot today.  Leaning on the truck during the late afternoon I almost burned myself…..so, maybe there was an iron involved.

After settling into my new site several errands were taken care of.  See, this evening we had a cook out at site 9.  Tony, Kate, Zora, CJ, & Sadira all joined in to celebrate the new site.  It was nice to have a little cook out, and have room for guests.  This is going to be nice!

I’m sorry to say Dina, Charlie, and Niko couldn’t come.  Guess Dina is having some severe issues thanks to sinus problems.  No sleep = no cook outs.  Feel better soon Dina!  We’ll get Niko out climbing again.

That’s the quick wrap for today.  I’ll write more about the site, take some shots, and tell you about my new hitch cover in the next few days……

I’ll be moving sites shortly.

That’s right, you heard me. Moving.

No, still staying at Point of Rocks. A better site has opened up with more room. I can actually have a few guests park at this site, and I’ll still have room. Better yet, I’ve got room for an outside storage container.

Ah, the books will still be handy, but not filling up the Airstream.

Keep watch, you’ll see more soon on the new site!

Nothing to blog on this morning, so I’m taking a page from so many blogs, and I’m taking a day off.

Go back, re-read, take a look at recent photos, etc.  This morning is slated for reading my new books! 

I’ll have something to blog on tomorrow!  Oh, and you can look back through the last few HDR experiments…..

Before work yesterday I stopped by Barnes & Noble again.  It’s almost like I can’t stop myself.  Fortunately I keep finding space for one or two extra books.  Well, I “sorta” find space.

In the back of my truck I’ve got a rubber maid bin full of books.  Back in New England I’ve got tons of books in a trailer.  Glad they’re not here right now (although I’ve wanted several of them now and again).

See, here’s the issue.  Recently I became interested in really learning Photoshop.  I blame Scott Kelby’s good writing.  So, I’ve gotten into using Photoshop, I’ve been reading tons, and I’m starting to get it.  Mission accomplished…..I’ll get better at using Photoshop, and I’ve got some great references.

With that mission well under way the next curiosity popped up.  These HDR images.  What are they, how do you do it, can I figure it out too?

The shot to the left is my latest HDR.  I’m actually digging it big time!  But after tinkering with it for a while yesterday I realized I need to read more about it…….

You know where you can read more about things…..in books.  Ugh!

So, 2 books on HDR were purchased yesterday.  I want to learn even more.  Why?  Basically just plain old curiosity.

Soon I’ll be sleeping outside to make room for the books in the Airstream.

Over the weekend I set up several HDR shots to work with.  I wasn’t sure what would be good or bad.  The shot to the left is another example of my experimentation with HDR.

High Dynamic Ratio Photography is growing in popularity.  I personally find it extremely interesting, and I understand how it can be used to create more interesting and sometimes accurate photos.

So, how does one take an HDR photo?  You don’t.  You take a series of photos, and then merge them together.  The photo to the left is composed of 3 different exposures.  One extremely low light photo, one properly exposed photo, and one extremely over exposed photo.

Once you have your 3, 5, 7, etc., exposures you pop them into something like Adobe Photoshop CS3 or Photomatix and merge the photos.  Once merged you still have to tone map the photo.

I have yet to find any in depth documents on the tone mapping process.  It seems to be a matter of artistic preference.  When I first open each of my HDRs I’m usually disappointed.  Only my recent shot of the courthouse worked out right on the first pass in Photoshop, no real changes in tone mapping (the photo is included in this post).  Others seem over blown, under exposed, etc.  That’s where the tone mapping comes in.

I’m willing to bet people who are great with HDR shots have some specific things they do while tone mapping.  I’d like to learn what those things are……

In the meantime, I’ll experiment and see where I can get these types of pictures to go.  I won’t concentrate too much on these though.  I think HDR works for certain types of pictures, but not all pictures.  So you won’t see this blog going all HDR all the time…..we’ll still talk about other stuff and present other pictures. 

Of course I got the truck washed yesterday.  It was my last day off in my “long weekend” and it really looked terrible after the ride into the Sycamore area.  So I took the truck in for a wash.

This morning I woke up to the light and soothing sound of rain on my roof.  Moisture.  Haven’t seen that in a little while for sure.  We always need it here, so I won’t complain.  But go figure on the truck being super clean!

Gotta say, the gray sky above is nice.  Still dark at 6 this morning thanks to the blackout shades and the lack of strong light.  I actually hit snooze on the alarm clock.  By alarm clock I mean my G4 IBook. 

The long weekend is now over, and today will be a work day.  Too bad.  I didn’t get to sort all my photos, no major edits, and only a little reading.  I think my next day off will encompass more reading…..after all, I’ve got plenty of books!

I was a little tired last night.  A long and exhausting day.  Of course, a good one.  But I left some things out I’d wanted to mention.

Saturday’s rodeo was my first rodeo ever.  This ain’t your first rodeo son, is it? Yup, it was!

The one thing that struck me at the rodeo had nothing to do with the bucking horses or bulls.  The working horses caught my attention, and I enjoyed watching them.

What do I mean by working horses?  I mean the ones that deal with the rowdy ones after it’s all done.  Two guys on horse back would round up the angry, kicking, jumping horses after “the ride” was over.  These horses were amazing.  Horse and rider would neatly manage the bucking horse right back into a gate.

Watching the working horses I could see they were all about management.  They’d shoot right up to a bull with their riders swinging a rope.  The horses didn’t flinch from their duties.  Pretty darned amazing if you ask me!  The blurry shot to the left is the back side of one of the working horses and it’s rider.  At the ready when someone gets bucked!

I can see how large herds of cattle could be managed by a few guys and their horses now.  With a horse like the ones I saw you could keep most anything in line.  Just amazing stuff!

Shifting gears - More horse talk.

Go figure, a horse heavy post.  In addition to the horses I watched on Saturday night I now want to talk about a few other horses I met yesterday.

As we were returning from Sycamore Canyon we rounded a bend in the road and came to a stop.  2 people on horseback were on the “road”.  2 additional horses were in tow carrying gear.  4 horses, 2 people.  They gave us a wave and we stopped to chat for a few.

The riders asked if we’d seen water up ahead.  They were doing an extended trip on horseback, and were looking for a water supply for their horses.  We’d seen nothing, and let them know.

We had seen troughs at the abandoned cabin a few miles up, and green water in the catchment system there.  Clearly people come up to ride in the area, and that seems to be what the catchment system was for.

The girl / woman (seemed awful young) mentioned that they’d heard of a creek not too far ahead.  We’d seen nothing, and let them know that.

Apparently the couple is crossing the country on horseback.  One of the pack horses had two plastic “Wal-Mart” style lawn chairs on it’s back.  We’d seen them in the morning camped on the Verde River, and now during the afternoon 17 miles from where we’d last seen them.  They were rugged looking, and clearly spend the bulk of their lives outdoors.  The man in the couple had leathery skin, and he was completely dust covered.  The woman was too.

I found myself wondering, “Is this a husband and wife or father and daughter?”  She seemed far too young to be a wife, and I expect she’s only recently out of high school.  What’s their story?  Riding to Colorado?  No major supplies?  Just a rifle on the man’s horse?  Plastic chairs on a horses back?  What’s that all about?

They said they were heading on to Colorado.  In 2002 they’d ridden from Washington state to the Southwest, and now their journey continued.  Once in Colorado they were going to ride the Great Divide.  Interesting trip for sure.  In the end, I was left with many questions about the nature of their trip, who they are, and if they were running from something, or like Thru-Hikers, just interested in a journey.  I sure hope they found some water for their horses…….

****By the way.  The last two photos are HDR experiments from yesterday’s shooting.  Not as cool as the courthouse, but interesting.  I’ll continue working with these photos and see what develops!  Pun intended.