<<< o >>>Barcelona #4 27 comments + add yours
chromasia.com

This is the first of two HDR images from Barcelona. This one was taken near the Olympic stadium and the tall structure to the left of the image is a communications tower. Of the two Libby prefers this one but I think that tomorrow's has the edge.

As with most of my recent HDR images this was processed with Photomatix Pro using the Details Enhancer method (as described in my HDR images: part two tutorial, but in this case I used a three shot rather than seven shot sequence (the 5D will only auto-bracket three shots while the 1Ds Mark II can shoot seven).

captured
camera
lens
focal length
aperture
shutter speed
shooting mode
exposure bias
metering mode
ISO
flash
image quality
RAW converter
cropped?
3.23pm on 23/7/08
Canon 5D
EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM
40mm
f/8.0
1/160, 1/640 and 1/2500
aperture priority
n/a
evaluative
100
no
RAW
Photomatix Pro
perspective corrected
 
3x2 + HDR + travel [Barcelona, Spain] + photo friday
comment by hayden at 07:03 PM (GMT) on 28 July, 2008

This feels very surreal, can't wait to see tomorrows!

comment by David at 07:29 PM (GMT) on 28 July, 2008

Nice!
I thing I took a photo of the same location years ago. I will try to make an HDR from a single raw shot, if possible. Great work and congrats!.

D

comment by paul at 07:37 PM (GMT) on 28 July, 2008

thinking back this was a most serene place, especially in the early evening. Thanks for the flash back mate.

comment by Eugene at 08:22 PM (GMT) on 28 July, 2008

I like this image a lot, but I feel like this HDR image could use a bump in contrast (especially in the background).

comment by Al at 08:25 PM (GMT) on 28 July, 2008

Great HDR shot David! Although I wish the sky and the clouds were a teeny bit darker....

comment by Al at 08:29 PM (GMT) on 28 July, 2008

Oh, one more question David, did you do the yellow toning after the HDR in photoshop or were you allowed to do it in Photomatix? Sorry, I'm not to accustomed to HDR processing yet...

comment by djn1 at 08:29 PM (GMT) on 28 July, 2008

Eugene/Al: I did try a more contrasty version, but didn't like it as much as this one.

comment by DavidC at 08:34 PM (GMT) on 28 July, 2008

I absolutely love this shot, I cant stop staring at it. This use of HDR, is great, it rides the line between real and surreal. I am very excited to see what you post tomorrow. Amazing job, I would love to see this shot included in a tutorial. This is the kind of shot that makes me keep coming back to your site.

comment by djn1 at 08:38 PM (GMT) on 28 July, 2008

Al: I converted the image to black and white in Photoshop then toned it using the following curve:

Photomatix does allow you to alter the white balance and saturation, but doesn't have any facility to tone an image in this way.

comment by djn1 at 08:43 PM (GMT) on 28 July, 2008

DavidC: I suspect that you'll probably like this one more than tomorrow's - which looks a bit more stereotypically HDR in nature - but this one is my favourite 'type' of HDR; i.e. not quite 'real' but not totally over-the-top.

comment by Stefan at 08:58 PM (GMT) on 28 July, 2008

Wow, looks great!

comment by Deniss at 09:14 PM (GMT) on 28 July, 2008

Very futuristic look. I like that it's colorless, really adds to futuristic feel.

comment by Garry at 09:51 PM (GMT) on 28 July, 2008

It's got a great 1950's "Flash Gordon" feel to it... love it

comment by Guillermo at 09:56 PM (GMT) on 28 July, 2008

That's really awesome. Wish all the HDR around would be as great as this one :)

comment by susan at 09:57 PM (GMT) on 28 July, 2008

wow, how'd you get it with no people there? serene is right. hope you got a chance to take a pic or two at the nearby Pavello Mies van der Rohe....nice architectural counterpoint.

comment by Paco at 10:44 PM (GMT) on 28 July, 2008

pues no esta mal....

comment by m i c k e s at 07:48 AM (GMT) on 29 July, 2008

Wow what a sci-fi kind of photo you got here! Great work with HDR and toning. I must take your tutorials some day and learn how you do.

comment by uday at 09:17 AM (GMT) on 29 July, 2008

Stunning photograph .... like 50 years ahead

comment by Frank at 03:16 PM (GMT) on 29 July, 2008

I prefer HDR like this with clouds not to dark. Well done.

comment by Raffi at 03:27 PM (GMT) on 29 July, 2008

This reminds me of a sci-fi movie. This is really some great work here!

comment by kurt at 04:13 PM (GMT) on 29 July, 2008

excellent processing - has a surreal touch

comment by cy at 04:43 PM (GMT) on 29 July, 2008

really nice image. i love the sheen on the metals. and what a nice composition. guessing you spotted exactly what the architect invisioned.

comment by bravelee at 06:04 PM (GMT) on 29 July, 2008

reminds me of half life 2, earth being occupied by aliens who built strange alien structure on earth. nice tone. but the composition is very uncomfortable, because it is too empty in the middle, have to move my eyeball to look at the tower

comment by djn1 at 07:14 PM (GMT) on 29 July, 2008

Thanks everyone.

susan: there were a few people milling around but I was lucky that they walked out of the shot at the same time.

comment by Jamey at 04:16 PM (GMT) on 30 July, 2008

I think I prefer this one over tomorrow's (always find it weird saying that when I track back through people's blogs) one.

Although there are quite a few little 'bits' around the borders of the image which I would've thought yo'd have cloned out, knowing how much you care about these things. It must be contagious because cloning those sort of things is fast becoming the most time-consuming part of my workflow too, on the rare days when i actually post anything at the moment.

comment by Thomas at 10:25 PM (GMT) on 31 July, 2008

Wow, talk about futuristic looking. Like it was pulled from a science fiction movie if you ask me.

comment by greg at 05:35 PM (GMT) on 31 August, 2008

Hello, Superb frame and stunning treatment, congrats