Monday, January 10, 2011

Reflections in HDR - Three Variations


When was looking in the viewfinder at this scene, I was worried about bringing together the deep blue sky in the reflection and the balded sky behind the building.  Then I decided not to worry and just take the picture.  A light touch on the tone mapping with the single image in Nik HDR Efex pulled out some texture in the reflected buildings and pulled out some clouds on the left.  The black spec on the lower left cloud is a bird.


The monochrome conversion is courtesy Nik Silver Efex Pro, using a green filter and sepia/blue split toner.


The solarized version is also from Nik Silver Efex Pro, using a custom preset I created originally for statues.  This might be my favorite because it looks so ghostly.

Technical
Camera: Nikon D700
Lens: AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.4G
Exposure: ISO 200, f/8.0 @ 1/320s, Auto WB, RAW
Lighting: Morning daylight and shade
Support: Handheld
Location: Kiener Plaza, St. Louis GPS
Dates: Capture - April 11, 2010, Processed - January 10, 2011
Processing: Lightroom 3.3, Photoshop CS5, Nik HDR Efex, Nik Silver Efex Pro, Nik Color Efex Pro

6 comments:

benjamin gandhi-shepard said...

I love the shot. I love the composition.

Preston Page Photography said...

Thank you so much, Ben. If it is not too much to ask, which of the three do you prefer?

benjamin gandhi-shepard said...

For me, it's a tie between #1 and #3. I think this image reads well in color. And the coloring in #1 is great. I love how you got a primary color to work well in a photograph.

I like number #3 because it there is a quality to it that reminds me of print making, and I think that there is a very good balance between lights and darks.

Ray Meibaum said...

If I can chime in, I prefer the B/W versions especially the last one - agree with Ben in that I like the graphic character of #3, but I find the white stripe on the left and top a little distracting.

Preston Page Photography said...

Ben,Ray, thank you so much for taking the time to comment with constructive critique.

GaryB said...

put me down for #1 :)