Oh yes.... My favourite of our bunch..... lovely tonality..... csj

I like this a lot, and I think it is great that you are trying to put your stamp on it. That is exactly my take on HDR. I use it a lot, it almost becoming a signature of mind, but while I like to use it to enhance the image I don't really want an image that looks like a HDR shot.

I think this is a great image but the foreground feels a little light to me in contrast the sky. I like darkness though.

Now that's beautiful! I like way better than that first HDR of just the railroad - Here you also got an atmosphere. Not just simple effect of good HDR, you got the drama in the skies, that scary tree... It's a horror film in one frame :D

Superb!

Wow! I love the 'non-HDR look' that you've achieved here. I wouldn't have thought it possible to end up with this if you'd shown me the original first.

I'm in awe :)

GREAT use of HDR+BW. Congratulations.

i definitely really like this one...what a cool technique

I loved the first railtrack image you put up - 'on the right track', however I think this is even better. I like the fact that the tracks are leading away giving the image real depth and a true focal point.

The sky is just perfect and works so well in this image. The difference between this and the metered exposure image is worlds apart.

This is an amazing image and I can almost hear and feel the train coming. Works great for the angle and your use of HDR is just fine as well...

I agree with Alan, I liked the first rr track shot, for the look and comp. I like this one for different reasons. Mainly that it seems more like I would have seen in if I were there. I like the sky, partly because although it looks like you shot it mid day (?) the final post looks very dusk like. And very nice.

Two other things:
1- this begs the reference to ... (Jay Maisel?) who said to turn around, sometimes the best stuff is behind you...
2- You were right! I do like this one a lot!

-Adam

This looks great and it is nice to see you longing for a unique expression in your HDRIs. I think you should return to the "good old" chromasia style to avoid producing typical HDRs. On this " good old" way, I mean: shallow dof, unusual pov and faded but shifted color tones. But this is only my oppinion. This shot is great anyway :)

Yep, I like this one too. I've not had too much success with my B&W HDR's but your replacement sky has given me an idea for this image: http://gallery.mac.com/chriswray1#100084/Railway-7862_3_4Enhancer-Edit-2&bgcolor=black

I'm totaly into using digital technics to extend an images dynamic, to get detail everywhere, but in most cases its (for me) just too much. And I think its the case here.
Now thats maybe what you all are looking for, interpreting reality into a total different way.
But for this image I would have either:
- darkened the tracks a little, to match the lighting from the sky / clouds.
- Lightened the clouds, again to match the light reflected on the tracks.
And by doing this I dont think you lose anything, you still have detail in the highlights and in the shadows. You just have a more natural looking photo with all the sufficant details everywhere. And the light looks real.
This surely would have been a very complicated image to have with just one shoot without having additional lighting, but why not respect the original aspect of the scene and of the light?
Now I may not be aware of some "HDR-philosophy / rules", and if I'm missing something please do tell me.

much nicer... love this... I would dial back the HDR a bit more - I think HDR is a fashion and people will look back and wonder why everybody thought it looked good at all. Subtle HDR is the way to go and I often bring back in the middle exposure at a reduced opactiy layer to take the edge off the effect which is so frequently overdone.

Not normally a big fan of HDRs but this is great work with a real sense of foreboding.

Enjoy the break.

Dave,

Not technically in the know... having said that... the spirit of this image is inviting and brooding. I especially love the contrast between the sky and the tree in the foreground. It is so fascinating to see the difference between the metered image and this HDR image. I would characterize the result as "I have been here before, but everything is unfamiliar."

Carlos

Brill image im a big fan of the dark and moody sky.

I understand you say it is one of your favorite HDRs! It is fantastic! It is a very smooth, and as Al Thomson said, a subtle HDR. This is the kind of HDR I like the most, you could tell it is one, but instead of going for the dramatic look, you just use it to be able to give information about the whole frame. Great job! A.

I think it's fantastic when you post the original

This image is wonderful. It incorporates the disappearing path that is always hard to resist and there is a creamy tone which adds a great deal to the thoughtfulness of the image. The detail I notice most is the branding on the rail. If the image were overworked, you wouldn't see something like that. The way the track is lit, both real and by HDR makes it the prize subject. Nicely done.

WICKED !!!

This is great - I really like the sharp focus on the foreground (high-pass filter used?). The vignetting really works here too. I think this is one of your recent best HDRs.

Woaw ! This is a very nice and amazing work. Congrats.

A dramatic and powerful image!

Very striking dramatic image when you first open it. Look at it for a while though and the lighting and tonality in the foreground clashes with the deeply shadowed horizon and near black sky. I can see where you're heading for though.

Your hdri works do have original look. Like this one a lot. Mood is close to Craig's shot.

Definitely one of my favs. This railroad takes directly to hell.

Is the tilt in the image just to lean you into the turn a little? When I run my eye over the shot it's almost as if the sky is moving or my brain is starving of oxygen and I'm seeing things :/. This is s terrfic shot with tremendous detail, I like the name included on the track. SUPER!

this is hdr at its best... love the aubergine toning to the shadows

Fantastic detail and contrast! The processing of this image really adds depth and creates interest. Well done!

Simply amazing. I've read all the comments and although we can all have our own opinion and points of view I really think that you've achieved *your* HDR.
I've just started following your work and I'm in love with your process and moody pictures. They do carry your signature.
I love the details on the stones, the rails, the letters...
Perfect balance!
This is one of the images that I would looooove to see a tutorial with all the process.
Pay £5 to see how this was done? It's a grab!

Very nice processing, great tone, mysterious... I love it :D

One more thing... when are going back to the sea?

I really like this one. It doesn't have the "overworked" HDR look that a lot of other HDR photos have. I tend to not really care for those since a lot of times the 'halos' are really obvious and it detracts from the overall photo in my opinion. However I think you really hit on something with this one and I especially like how nicely the highlights in the tracks came out. Great work!

That's an amazing result. I wouldn't have believed you could get something like that from the "ordinary" exposure.

Really like the shot David. I think you've managed to achieve that mix of a 'Chromasia' style shot and at the same time create the depth of HDR. It works really well in the black and white .

How about a perspective from a non-photographer, but artistic indeed. I like how the dark rims on the sky pull you into the center of the photograph. I especially like the texture of the rocks and the rail. There is something interesting on how the rails bank slightly and how the lines play with the planes...but now I feel like I am digging too much. I thought most of your other photo's told a better story, versus the railroad track at the end of my street. I think the average consumer looks for a picture that say's a thousand words. Your portfolio is wonderful and certainly expresses feeling and displays the worlds ‘awesomeness’ in most images. Thanks for sharing.

very cool i like it if only a old steam engen was comming down those tracks any way excelent job

Wow, very very nice... Your post processing is amazing! I often visit your site and enjoy the images. There's a lot to learn for me, and I do, thanks to your tutorials!
Compliments!
Kind regards from Holland, Margot.

This is very good and has that feel of moonlight as the tunnel did. I think you're already 99% there in putting your own stamp on these HDR's. Certainly if I look at VFXY daily mosaic or something I can spot your work from the thumbnail as I can Craigs work too.

It's been a while since I passed a commment about a picture. But this shot has to be one of my favourites for months and months. :-)

wonderful image, and i'm glad to hear your views on hdr. when i first saw your work headed in that direction, i said "nooooooo, not david, too!!!" i always felt like some of your earlier work was true "hdr" because it's such a mis-used term. high dynamic range and tone mapping are two different things, but the heavy tone mapping is what's "popular" and has earned the nickname. regardless, it's been interesting to watch you progress through various stages of this process!

wp.

Chromasia, this photo is fantastic.
When I first saw it, me head started working out a story related to it. I´m a writter, as you can imagine.
Good luck, and keep on taking photos!

i like the dark mood of the bw processing. nicely done!

This is the usage of HDR I like and prefer by myself. The composition is very good. the image has depth and keeps the eyes of the vieer inside the image.

I really love train track photos. The sky and the color tone are wonderful. the detail on the tracks is great also.

This is so striking. The contrast and detail is exceptional.

The dramatic b&w work is simply outstanding. Awesome!

This is how a black and white is suppost to look. Well done...

This is stunning work indeed!

My compliments!
Usually Hdr photo becomes so un natural because of the strong tone mapping. Instead it's a really great technique to get what all the b/w great photographer always want: a great dynimac range from shadow to highlight but in a artistic and personal way. I think you did a great job with this photo!

im a fan of rails. im not a fan of HDR but i gotta say: this one rocks :)

This is a great shot!

I don't know about the technical side but this is a great photo. Love the writing on the rails - a great gritty 'British Rail' feel about the image! I like too the combination of high contrast in the foreground with softer sky . . .

Really nice shot, very dynamic.
Cheers,
pierre

Lead the way, mate !Great shot, even though a bit on the "dark" side.

This is amazing. Great angle and beautiful HDR. Great job!

speechless!

makes me what to play a Johnny Cash song! very cool image

This is, by far, my favourite photo I've seen today.

I love the composition and treatment of black and white. Great image.

HDR seems like a very interesting technique.. I'm gonna read your guides on how to accomplish shots like this one. Very dramatic, eery atmosphere.