As you will all have noticed I haven't been posting at all regularly in recent weeks, not because I don't want to, but because I haven't had anything to post. The upside of my lack of blogging is that we've been busy arranging a variety of things, all of which will carry us through until May 2009.
Our major project for the New Year, and the one that will keep us busy up until mid-March, is a book on HDR Photography. It's provisionally titled 'Practical HDR', was commissioned by Ilex Press, and will be published by Focal Press at some point in the 3rd of 4th quarter of 2009. If you've been visiting for a while, you may remember that I did a book on baby photography for the same publisher last year, so it was good to get asked to do another one.
As I'll be writing a whole book on the topic I'll also take the opportunity to write a couple more HDR tutorials to add to part one and part two that have already been published alongside our other online tutorials. I'm not entirely sure of which topics I'll be covering yet, but I suspect that one will be on creating photo-realistic HDR images and the other will be on either working with low-contrast scenes or single RAW files (or maybe both).
I'll also be continuing to run my HDR class at PPSOP (the Perfect Picture School of Photography). I've been running the course for around three months now, and have thoroughly enjoyed the experience. If you've interested in signing up for any of their courses now would be a good time as they're offering a 10% discount until tomorrow (i.e. the 21st).
And finally, I'll also be running an HDR course for Aspen Photo Workshops (run by Charlie Borland) in Tampa, Florida, from the 19th of April until the 23rd. If you're interested, there's more information about the course listed here. I'm really looking forward to this one, not least because I've never been to Florida.
So, if you are an HDR fan, then it's all good news. If not, then ... err ... come back in May ;-) More seriously though, I won't just be posting HDR stuff as I imagine that I'll probably fancy a bit of a change at some point – probably by the end of the first week in January :-)
All of which brings me neatly to today's shot: the old lift tower at Bispham, a couple of miles up the coast from Blackpool. It was constructed from a a seven shot sequence (with a 1 EV spacing) and processed with Photomatix Pro, after which I merged the sky from one of the original images. If you're interested, the metered exposure is here:
captured camera lens focal length aperture shutter speed shooting mode exposure bias metering mode ISO flash image quality RAW converter cropped?
11.00am on 20/12/08
Canon 1Ds Mark II EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM
26mm
f/8.0
7 exposures (1/4 to 1/250)
aperture priority
n/a
evaluative
100
no
RAW Photomatix Pro
minor
comment byPete Carr at 07:51 PM (GMT) on 20 December, 2008
Awesome news. Can't wait to read it, though its like a year off.
comment byJennifer at 08:11 PM (GMT) on 20 December, 2008
Oh dear :-( Could you post a portrait once a week to keep me happy ? ;-)
comment byLightningPaul at 08:14 PM (GMT) on 20 December, 2008
I also love to use Photomatrix to enhance details and texture. This image is very nice except the part of the wobbly (curved) wall is too strong and don't look natural at all anymore. The brick wall looks fantastic; the sky too.
I'm looking forward to your book. Currently I'm reading the HDRI handbook (see: http://www.hdrlabs.com/book/), which I'm enjoying a lot.
comment byTom at 09:12 PM (GMT) on 20 December, 2008
Very cool effect. The details brought out on the tower are awesome.
comment byCraig at 09:56 PM (GMT) on 20 December, 2008
I like this a lot, I'm a sucker for details and they're brought to life with HDR, the brickwork in particular stands out for me. Looking forward to all the new stuff coming up!
comment by Chris at 11:38 PM (GMT) on 20 December, 2008
Hi Dave, Great HDR work, looks like something that would be found in a mystery or thriller-type movie. A HDR book towards the end of 2009 is very exciting. Additional HDR tutorials would be great, I definately would like a tutorial on photo-realistic HDR.
comment bydjn1 at 12:05 AM (GMT) on 21 December, 2008
Pete: thanks.
Jennifer: ok, it's a deal :)
LightningPaul: most of the time I'm not too concerned about photo-realism when I produce my HDR images, but I take your point. And thanks for the heads-up about the HDRI handbook.
Craig/Chris: thanks.
comment byCarlos Garcia at 12:22 AM (GMT) on 21 December, 2008
What a fantastic image! I am glad to go exploring up the coast. Ominous and inviting at the same time.
comment byDave Carrington at 12:33 AM (GMT) on 21 December, 2008
Happy memories here for me, Dave: I used to live about 300 yards down the road from here as a kid & spent a lot of time scrambling around these cliffs! Still not sure about HDR treatments, though...
comment by Mark at 06:27 AM (GMT) on 21 December, 2008
Congrats on the book deal Dave - nothing like a bit of recognition to brighten up the dark of winter!
Sorry to nitpick (part 247): While I like the image overall especially the forbidding angle, the 'straight' sky jars (for me) with the HDR foreground. It lacks the punch and tone and looks like it could come from a different pic entirely, giving the whole a slightly 'video game' (deja vu here) feel to it. Would an at least mildly HDRed sky be a better match?
comment byCatalin at 06:40 AM (GMT) on 21 December, 2008
First of all, love the shot! I think it's very dramatic and it just looks like a very well fortified building.
As for the Gulf Photo Plus... Sign me up! :-) Are the dates confirmed? I'm just asking cause I haven't seen anything on their website yet.
comment bySimone at 08:59 AM (GMT) on 21 December, 2008
The light could be better but the composition and perspective are suggestive!
comment byantmanbee at 11:33 AM (GMT) on 21 December, 2008
Sometimes I ask myself "What is point?" It was a pretty dull shot in the first place and now it just looks silly
comment byDan Kaufman at 04:06 PM (GMT) on 21 December, 2008
After...an image JUMPS off the page/wall/screen at me I try to stop and contemplate what was it that jumped at me. In the case of the lift tower it was the color palette--the (almost) tri-tone red+black+white of the tower cum wall, and then the monotone gray of the sky. They worked well together. BUT it was also the tension of the perspective of the slanting tower, almost like it wanted to take off. As a lot of my work is architectural I am sensitive to the diminishing perspective problem produced by a wide angle lens. BUT, in this case it absolutely worked, the slant felt real, and overall the image has a forbidding quality.
...and I too love your portraits yet am looking forward to the upcoming HDR Season.
comment bymoonhead at 10:04 PM (GMT) on 21 December, 2008
I'm not an HDR fan myself. Like the 70's Cokin filter craze when starbursts were the norm, I see HDR as a photographic fad that's geared toward amateurs. Like those awful 70's filters, I'm sure one day in the not so distant future, many will look back on HDR and cringe.
I was in WHSmith's today and all the amature photographic magazines carry these images in abundance - I'm glad that Professional Photographer and BJP magazine has steered clear for now anyway :-)
comment byNick Radcliffe at 08:04 AM (GMT) on 22 December, 2008
Clearly this HDR stuff is polarizing.
Sadly, I'm in the group that struggles to appreciate it. Occasionally, I can see some appeal when the result is Disney-like, vibrant and supernatural. And I've certainly struggled often enough with inadequate dynamic range to understand the appeal of HDR techniques. But in end the results mostly just look false and tacky to me; artificial rather than supernatural.
Anyway, sorry to be negative. I'm sure you'll pull some extraordinary things out of HDR that'll make me eat my words.
comment byMichael Paulison at 02:59 PM (GMT) on 22 December, 2008
Great image and place. The red wavy band of stone running midway is beguiling. When HDR is done by someone like you, it's just about impossible to not be a fan of its many forms. Good luck with the book.
comment by Nigel Robinson at 11:47 AM (GMT) on 23 December, 2008
awsome, just signed up last night delighted to be a part of it
kind regards
Nigel
comment by sara at 03:12 PM (GMT) on 23 December, 2008
David,
Wow, it's such a wacky angle, and the changing textures are incredible....
I'd never have thought of a shot like that....so I need to look with fresh eyes...
Have a great New Year...sounds inspiring...Sara.
comment byClaus at 08:03 PM (GMT) on 23 December, 2008
You have really managed to pull out all the details of this old building, amazing look you have given it! Merry Christmas!
comment byatzu at 11:01 AM (GMT) on 24 December, 2008
I like the textures on the walls. I've seen you'll have a lot of work for the 2009, congratulations !
The bleeding walls are so cool and have such a great details.. the only thing i would say is that the details is all over and there is not much differentiation between the two.. but its still a top notch photo..
comment byAlex Caballero at 02:48 PM (GMT) on 24 December, 2008
La prespectiva es espectacular y como no un tratamiento de lujo...buen HDR, saludos y Feliz Navidad y prospero año nuevo!!!
comment byChris at 10:59 AM (GMT) on 25 December, 2008
Good luck with all your projects David; wishing you all a very merry Christmas :)
comment byBrooks Potteiger at 12:42 AM (GMT) on 26 December, 2008
Really great. I love the detail yet the lack of "overphotoshopping". Might wanna give a second glance to the aperture you posted. Cheers Dave and Merry Christmas
comment bydjn1 at 12:46 AM (GMT) on 26 December, 2008
Thanks everyone, and Merry Christmas :)
Brooks: well spotted, I've corrected it.
comment by Jeremy at 09:40 PM (GMT) on 26 December, 2008
Hmmm ... just on a philosophical level, in what way can an image made from a single RAW file be considered "High Dynamic Range"? For that matter, how can any image displayed as an 8-bit jpg be called "HDR". The effect is interesting, sometimes dramatic, but it seems to be a misnomer ...
comment bydjn1 at 10:00 PM (GMT) on 26 December, 2008
Jeremy: on a philosophical level it doesn't make a great deal of sense, on both counts. But in both cases the HDR 'process' does create quite distinct images, so I think the HDR label makes sense in that it refers to a recognisable style.
comment by Jeremy at 02:41 PM (GMT) on 27 December, 2008
Dave - agreed - and on another subject ... when is the tantalising tutorial on "textures" scheduled? :-)
comment by Tom Meerwarth at 10:39 PM (GMT) on 28 December, 2008
Just thought i would ask if you have heard of a new HDR software called HDR MAX. It is being promoted by a Flickr member "Stuckincustoms". If you have tried it, your thoughts.
comment byMihai Albu at 10:15 AM (GMT) on 29 December, 2008
Great HDR!
comment by Matt at 01:24 AM (GMT) on 30 December, 2008
Dave, it's obvious you've got more pressing things at hand because the quality of your images has nosedived. I'm not knocking you because I know you are ridiculously busy and long may it continue (love the tutorials by the way!). You are so, so much better than what you have posted recently and this is the worst.
I hate it. The HDR is awful and looks unnatural. The composition is bad and the building looks like it's going to fall over.
You have been an absolute inspiration to me but I can't like this at all.
Sorry!!!!!!!
comment byIlan at 02:24 PM (GMT) on 30 December, 2008
Great news for you! Good luck with the book :)
About the photo - Great work! Very nicely done, I've really enjoyed this frame :)
Superb.
comment byRobbie Veldwijk at 03:04 PM (GMT) on 30 December, 2008
As you will all have noticed I haven't been posting at all regularly in recent weeks, not because I don't want to, but because I haven't had anything to post. The upside of my lack of blogging is that we've been busy arranging a variety of things, all of which will carry us through until May 2009.
Our major project for the New Year, and the one that will keep us busy up until mid-March, is a book on HDR Photography. It's provisionally titled 'Practical HDR', was commissioned by Ilex Press, and will be published by Focal Press at some point in the 3rd of 4th quarter of 2009. If you've been visiting for a while, you may remember that I did a book on baby photography for the same publisher last year, so it was good to get asked to do another one.
As I'll be writing a whole book on the topic I'll also take the opportunity to write a couple more HDR tutorials to add to part one and part two that have already been published alongside our other online tutorials. I'm not entirely sure of which topics I'll be covering yet, but I suspect that one will be on creating photo-realistic HDR images and the other will be on either working with low-contrast scenes or single RAW files (or maybe both).
And if that wasn't enough on the same topic, I'll also be running an HDR class at this year's Gulf Photo Plus training event in Dubai (March 30th to April 4th). I've attended the last two GPP events but this year promises to be better than ever with a great list of photographers: Joe McNally, David Hobby, Drew Gardner, Vincent LaForet, Zack Arias, Carol Dragon, Chase Jarvis, Cliff Mautner, Asim Rafiqui, Chris Hurtt, Bobbi Lane, and Robin Nichols (and probably a few more I've forgot to mention).
I'll also be continuing to run my HDR class at PPSOP (the Perfect Picture School of Photography). I've been running the course for around three months now, and have thoroughly enjoyed the experience. If you've interested in signing up for any of their courses now would be a good time as they're offering a 10% discount until tomorrow (i.e. the 21st).
And finally, I'll also be running an HDR course for Aspen Photo Workshops (run by Charlie Borland) in Tampa, Florida, from the 19th of April until the 23rd. If you're interested, there's more information about the course listed here. I'm really looking forward to this one, not least because I've never been to Florida.
So, if you are an HDR fan, then it's all good news. If not, then ... err ... come back in May ;-) More seriously though, I won't just be posting HDR stuff as I imagine that I'll probably fancy a bit of a change at some point – probably by the end of the first week in January :-)
All of which brings me neatly to today's shot: the old lift tower at Bispham, a couple of miles up the coast from Blackpool. It was constructed from a a seven shot sequence (with a 1 EV spacing) and processed with Photomatix Pro, after which I merged the sky from one of the original images. If you're interested, the metered exposure is here:
.../archives/the_lift_tower.php
camera
lens
focal length
aperture
shutter speed
shooting mode
exposure bias
metering mode
ISO
flash
image quality
RAW converter
cropped?
Canon 1Ds Mark II
EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM
26mm
f/8.0
7 exposures (1/4 to 1/250)
aperture priority
n/a
evaluative
100
no
RAW
Photomatix Pro
minor
Awesome news. Can't wait to read it, though its like a year off.
Oh dear :-( Could you post a portrait once a week to keep me happy ? ;-)
I also love to use Photomatrix to enhance details and texture. This image is very nice except the part of the wobbly (curved) wall is too strong and don't look natural at all anymore. The brick wall looks fantastic; the sky too.
I'm looking forward to your book. Currently I'm reading the HDRI handbook (see: http://www.hdrlabs.com/book/), which I'm enjoying a lot.
Very cool effect. The details brought out on the tower are awesome.
I like this a lot, I'm a sucker for details and they're brought to life with HDR, the brickwork in particular stands out for me. Looking forward to all the new stuff coming up!
Hi Dave, Great HDR work, looks like something that would be found in a mystery or thriller-type movie. A HDR book towards the end of 2009 is very exciting. Additional HDR tutorials would be great, I definately would like a tutorial on photo-realistic HDR.
Pete: thanks.
Jennifer: ok, it's a deal :)
LightningPaul: most of the time I'm not too concerned about photo-realism when I produce my HDR images, but I take your point. And thanks for the heads-up about the HDRI handbook.
Craig/Chris: thanks.
What a fantastic image! I am glad to go exploring up the coast. Ominous and inviting at the same time.
Happy memories here for me, Dave: I used to live about 300 yards down the road from here as a kid & spent a lot of time scrambling around these cliffs! Still not sure about HDR treatments, though...
Congrats on the book deal Dave - nothing like a bit of recognition to brighten up the dark of winter!
Sorry to nitpick (part 247): While I like the image overall especially the forbidding angle, the 'straight' sky jars (for me) with the HDR foreground. It lacks the punch and tone and looks like it could come from a different pic entirely, giving the whole a slightly 'video game' (deja vu here) feel to it. Would an at least mildly HDRed sky be a better match?
First of all, love the shot! I think it's very dramatic and it just looks like a very well fortified building.
As for the Gulf Photo Plus... Sign me up! :-) Are the dates confirmed? I'm just asking cause I haven't seen anything on their website yet.
The light could be better but the composition and perspective are suggestive!
Sometimes I ask myself "What is point?" It was a pretty dull shot in the first place and now it just looks silly
After...an image JUMPS off the page/wall/screen at me I try to stop and contemplate what was it that jumped at me. In the case of the lift tower it was the color palette--the (almost) tri-tone red+black+white of the tower cum wall, and then the monotone gray of the sky. They worked well together. BUT it was also the tension of the perspective of the slanting tower, almost like it wanted to take off. As a lot of my work is architectural I am sensitive to the diminishing perspective problem produced by a wide angle lens. BUT, in this case it absolutely worked, the slant felt real, and overall the image has a forbidding quality.
...and I too love your portraits yet am looking forward to the upcoming HDR Season.
I'm not an HDR fan myself. Like the 70's Cokin filter craze when starbursts were the norm, I see HDR as a photographic fad that's geared toward amateurs. Like those awful 70's filters, I'm sure one day in the not so distant future, many will look back on HDR and cringe.
I was in WHSmith's today and all the amature photographic magazines carry these images in abundance - I'm glad that Professional Photographer and BJP magazine has steered clear for now anyway :-)
Clearly this HDR stuff is polarizing.
Sadly, I'm in the group that struggles to appreciate it. Occasionally, I can see some appeal when the result is Disney-like, vibrant and supernatural. And I've certainly struggled often enough with inadequate dynamic range to understand the appeal of HDR techniques. But in end the results mostly just look false and tacky to me; artificial rather than supernatural.
Anyway, sorry to be negative. I'm sure you'll pull some extraordinary things out of HDR that'll make me eat my words.
Great image and place. The red wavy band of stone running midway is beguiling. When HDR is done by someone like you, it's just about impossible to not be a fan of its many forms. Good luck with the book.
awsome, just signed up last night delighted to be a part of it
kind regards
Nigel
David,
Wow, it's such a wacky angle, and the changing textures are incredible....
I'd never have thought of a shot like that....so I need to look with fresh eyes...
Have a great New Year...sounds inspiring...Sara.
You have really managed to pull out all the details of this old building, amazing look you have given it! Merry Christmas!
I like the textures on the walls. I've seen you'll have a lot of work for the 2009, congratulations !
The bleeding walls are so cool and have such a great details.. the only thing i would say is that the details is all over and there is not much differentiation between the two.. but its still a top notch photo..
La prespectiva es espectacular y como no un tratamiento de lujo...buen HDR, saludos y Feliz Navidad y prospero año nuevo!!!
Good luck with all your projects David; wishing you all a very merry Christmas :)
Really great. I love the detail yet the lack of "overphotoshopping". Might wanna give a second glance to the aperture you posted. Cheers Dave and Merry Christmas
Thanks everyone, and Merry Christmas :)
Brooks: well spotted, I've corrected it.
Hmmm ... just on a philosophical level, in what way can an image made from a single RAW file be considered "High Dynamic Range"? For that matter, how can any image displayed as an 8-bit jpg be called "HDR". The effect is interesting, sometimes dramatic, but it seems to be a misnomer ...
Jeremy: on a philosophical level it doesn't make a great deal of sense, on both counts. But in both cases the HDR 'process' does create quite distinct images, so I think the HDR label makes sense in that it refers to a recognisable style.
Dave - agreed - and on another subject ... when is the tantalising tutorial on "textures" scheduled? :-)
Just thought i would ask if you have heard of a new HDR software called HDR MAX. It is being promoted by a Flickr member "Stuckincustoms". If you have tried it, your thoughts.
Great HDR!
Dave, it's obvious you've got more pressing things at hand because the quality of your images has nosedived. I'm not knocking you because I know you are ridiculously busy and long may it continue (love the tutorials by the way!). You are so, so much better than what you have posted recently and this is the worst.
I hate it. The HDR is awful and looks unnatural. The composition is bad and the building looks like it's going to fall over.
You have been an absolute inspiration to me but I can't like this at all.
Sorry!!!!!!!
Great news for you! Good luck with the book :)
About the photo - Great work! Very nicely done, I've really enjoyed this frame :)
Superb.
Very nice building! Great toning