Steve Oldham Photography

Landscape and Travel Photographer from Manchester, England

Posts tagged ‘HDR’

Blue Hour in Hamburg

Hamburg Rathaus

 

I took this photo just before Christmas last year. I had a long weekend in Bremen to visit both the city and the Christmas market, but as I discovered there wasn’t much to see in Bremen, I decided to have a day trip to Hamburg to visit the markets and the city there.

This image is comprised of four original shots taken at different exposures, merged into a single high dynamic range image using Photomatix Pro, then finished using Photoshop CC and Nik Color Efex Pro.

I hope you like it!

Surprised

I mentioned in my last post how I’ve been given a free Awesome account at 500px.  What has surprised me is which images are receiving the best responses.

To date, the image above has been my most popular image.  To me, that is not a huge surprise. It’s probably my favourite image out of my portfolio.

More of a surprise to me, is that this image came a close second in terms of popularity:

Trocadero Fountains and Eiffel Tower

 

This is a six image stitched panoramic shot, the first one I created using PTGui.  Am I happy with the results?  Yes, otherwise I wouldn’t have posted it!  But do I think it’s my second best image?  I don’t think so.

Which just goes to show, sometimes you need other people to view your work in order to judge its worth.  You get such an emotional attachment to an image through the creative process, that sometimes it’s difficult to take a step backwards, and assess your work critically.  But it’s so important to do that.

For completeness, my current third most popular image is:

Cloudscapes

 

I note that all three of these images were taken on my most recent shooting trip, when I was in Paris.  That is a good sign that my work is continuing to develop!

 

The Louvre, Paris

I took part in a free Photowalk organised by Trey Ratcliff in Paris last autumn. It was scheduled to take place just as night fell, giving great opportunities for the creation of HDR images, and with one of the masters of the technique on hand to provide advice and guidance.

This is an image I took of the entrance to the Louvre museum.

Louvre Pyramids

It’s a three image composite, with post production in Lightroom, Photoshop, Photomatix and Topaz Adjust.

A key importance was the composition, ensuring the alignment of the pyramids with the centre of the building in the background, and also with the centre of the frame. Also key was the other tourists – as anyone who has been to the Louvre will know it’s a busy location, made even more so when there are several hundred photowalkers around the place with tripods everywhere!

I hope you enjoy it. This image is available for purchase as a Limited Edition print.

St John’s Episcopal Church, Edinburgh

This church can be found at the western end of Princes Street Gardens, in downtown Edinburgh. Built in the early 19th century, it is a category A listed building. The decorative plaster ceiling takes its inspiration from the Henry VII Chapel at Westminster Abbey in London.

St Johns Church

 

This image is a high dynamic range (HDR) composite of three original frames, and shows both the decorative ceiling and the stained glass windows. Check out my gallery for another image from inside the church.

Notre Dame

It’s quite difficult to get a good shot of Notre Dame at the moment. It’s approaching their 850th anniversary, and as a consequence a load of temporary seating has been erected on scaffolding in the square in front of the Cathedral.

I managed to take this shot from the bridge onto the Ile de la Cite. Three exposures.

I particularly like the effect of the cloudy skies; little did I know that they would shortly clear to a dramatic sunset – but more of that to come in the next few days! Hopefully the blue scaffolding isn’t too distracting…

Purchase a Limited Edition print of this photo

Parisien Architecture

One thing I like about Paris is the architecture. As Ana said whilst we were on our way from the station to the hotel: “It’s very French!”. When you’re there, take the time to stop and look around you. Look up especially.

This building was close to our hotel, in Le Peletier.

Architecture

I particularly like the shape of the building, also the ornate balcony rails that wrap around each floor.

Order a Limited Edition print of this photo

Paris

I’ve recently spent a few days shooting in Paris. My girlfriend was on a workshop with Trey Ratcliff and Miss Aniela, leaving me with a couple of days to shoot the city.

The first evening, Trey hosted a free PhotoWalk so I went along. Starting at the Place de la Concorde, we walked through the Jardin de Tuileries as the sun set, until we reached the Musee du Louvre at nightfall.

Musee du Louvre

It was a great experience, watching a professional like Trey at work – understanding how he composes the shot, how he sets his camera for optimum bracketed shots, even the details as the preferred lens of choice.

I’ve a long way to go to reach the levels Trey has reached, but with practice and perseverence my art can only improve.

Order a Limited Edition print of this photo

Roman Baths

I’m starting to develop some HDR skills, which I’ll be sharing over the next few posts.

Roman Baths

This image is the Roman Baths, in the city of Bath in south west England.