Experimental Photography

This past weekend was an opportunity for much experimentation with photography, both in HDR imagery and in playing with the zoom lens. On the left-hand side is the “plain” picture, on the right is a composite of three images. Which do you prefer?

Dundee 238 Dundee 238 HDR

I think that, in this case, I prefer the HDR version, because it shows the raindrops. And in the case blow, I also prefer the HDR version, because it shows the clouds so well, and also shows the reflection of the clouds upon the side of the ship (which, as it happens, still has a chunk of ice from its journeys, preserved on-board). The “plain” image is first, the HDR image is next.

Dundee 196
Dundee 196 HDR

Dundee 245

Dundee 249

I’ve seen a few pictures where people had snapped while zooming, and thought I’d see if I could get a few which were decent. I actually had to put a polarizing filter on the camera, to cut out half of the light and let me zoom, it was such a bright day. Crazy, really, since it was raining, but that’s Scotland for you: it may be raining, but it’s also a bit sunny outside, particularly during the Summer. We’ll pay for it during the Winter, though.

So. Thoughts? Opinions? We’ve heard that the zoom photos look like anything from angels to frizzy hair. What do you think? Fun stuff?

-D

4 Replies to “Experimental Photography”

  1. I definitely like the HDR version of the first set better. It isn’t that the raindrops are more visible because it is a little difficult to determine that they are raindrops in a cursory glance. Knowing they were raindrops I thought it a little more like “white noise”, but not in a bad way. Put a little sepia into it and you have a classic image. But I like the HDR also for the ladder.

    The stained glass windows: the image on the left looks like spinning tops. 🙂

  2. I’ve been taking shots of our skylight lately, too. But it’s the sun that’s the novelty here.

    It’s finally decided to shine. Since you asked, I think somewhere between the two versions would be perfect. Looks like it’s snowing, and I do like all the grey. The ship is gorgeous and the clouds are great! I’ve been dodging and burning a lot of my shots to add more drama. Takes some time, but I enjoy it.

    The zoomed stained glass image reminds me of crystal formations. Pretty cool.

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