Brunch with Battutah
Our village - Cigel, Slovakia
Posted by Michael Skorulski (Cigel, Slovakia) on 9 July 2008 in Landscape & Rural and Portfolio.
I walked just slightly above our village to snap the three images for this HDR.
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@rem_la: Thank you very much, rem_la.
Marion from Nanaimo, BC, Canada
Wow, gorgeous. The HDR certainly enhances the clouds. Very beautiful Michael.
9 Jul 2008 5:42am
@Marion: Thank you, Marion. Yes, its effect on clouds is one of the great uses of HDR.
saeed from ahwaz, Iran
So lovely village, so peaceful place! great composition and nice using HDR !!
You are great, Man! Cheers You!!
9 Jul 2008 6:21am
@saeed: That's a nice comment. Thank you, Saeed.
Stephen Phillips from San Francisco, United States
Beautiful, Michael - a fabulous production in every respect.
9 Jul 2008 6:47am
@Stephen Phillips: Thank you, Stephen. Your uplifting comment has made my day!
Thomas Griffioen from Panama
Michael, what a powerful image; the composition and especially the clouds!
9 Jul 2008 7:50am
@Thomas Griffioen: Thank you, Thomas. I hoped for interesting clouds.
Lorraine from Gatineau, Canada
Oh Michael, it's charming, what a lovely photograph, you did the village justice :)
9 Jul 2008 8:14am
@Lorraine: Thanks, Lorraine. The people who watch this blog in our village will be pleased.
Observing from West Cheshire, United Kingdom
The hdr process has immediately enhanced the cloud structure, quality Michael.
9 Jul 2008 8:36am
@Observing: Thank you, Mike. It's a nice process just to get those clouds.
António Pires from Lisbon, Portugal
I'm not a fan of HDR, so this is not a comment on your photo but rather on HDR.
First the halos: there is a visible one around the tree on the left foreground. Overall the images turn out to three groups of mid-tones, the would-be mid-tones, the highlights converted to mid-tones and the shadows converted to mid-tones. The resulting image from this technique doesn't look like the image that would be obtained from a sensor with a higher dynamic range that the sensors in use today. The mid-tones as we see today would span over a narrow range.
9 Jul 2008 9:31am
@António Pires: Thank you for the technical analysis, António. I was aware of the halo but found it acceptable because, to my eye, it wasn't strong enough to be distracting. Halos happen sometimes with HDR and may happen more if the camera is hand-held as it was in this instance.
Japanalia from Yokohama, Japan
The view over the village is beautifully captured; the sky......well, I find it slightly overdone!
9 Jul 2008 10:09am
@Japanalia: A valid comment. I like my skies on the dramatic side. Thank you, Gabriela.
MadScientist from Düsseldorf, Germany
A very scenic landscape with a beautiful spatial effect. Think I'll experiment with HDR too, this is an encouraging example.
9 Jul 2008 10:12am
@MadScientist: Thank you, MS. HDR is fun to work with from time to time. I like it best when lightly applied and results are not too cartoon-like. I'm trying for a look somewhere between a regular photograph and a painting.
dj.tigersprout from San Bruno, United States
a simply wonderful composition -- love the large bush stage left and then the open areas leading back to the mountains at the horizon that frame this locale. the HDR effect has certainly added an intriguing dimension to the sky -- very dynamic indeed! marvelous work Michael!
9 Jul 2008 10:27am
@dj.tigersprout: Thank you, Jaycee. I like the fact that you can make the sky as subdued or dramatic as you like with HDR just by moving a slider.
Tracey from White Hall, United States
Your village is gorgeous! What a beautiful spot on the Earth to be! The HDR almost gives the effect of a beautiful painting.
9 Jul 2008 12:22pm
@Tracey: Thank you, Tracey. I was hoping for an effect somewhere between a photo and painting.
Steven from Chicagoland, United States
Great capture, Michael! This provides a lot of depth from the trees in the foreground to the mountain range in the background. The clouds really stand out in almost a 3-D fashion.
9 Jul 2008 12:23pm
@Steven: Thank you very much, Steven. The clouds are my favorite part.
MaryB from Staffordshire, United Kingdom
Oh Wow! what a fabulous landscape, you live in a beautiful part of the world Michael. I love the HDR processing, superb work.
9 Jul 2008 12:26pm
@MaryB: Thanks so much, Mary.
@MJ: Thank you, MJ. I was hoping for a painting effect.
Mirko Herzner from Mühlheim am Main, Germany
An impressive example on how to use the possibilities of HDR processing. Even if it is a bit to much for my personal taste your picture is surely a nice addition to your portfolio here on Am3.
9 Jul 2008 1:14pm
@Mirko Herzner: Yes, I have noticed you prefer a more subdued and elegant use of HDR. Thanks, Mirko.
@Rags: Thank you, Rags.
Sammi from New Jersey, United States
Michael... you have a beautiful home. Theres a lot of beautiful trees ... is there pollution there? xP
9 Jul 2008 2:41pm
@Sammi: Thanks, Sammi. Yes, there is pollution from a power plant and chemical factory in the area. But pollution controls on chimneys have become better lately.
Ras from Plano, United States
You did a wonderful job on the clouds here, silver laden and intensely beautiful.
9 Jul 2008 5:48pm
@Ras: Thank you, Ras.
Paul van der Meer from Valkenswaard, Netherlands
wow this good be a van Gogh!! SUPERB!
9 Jul 2008 6:36pm
@Paul van der Meer: What a great comment. thank you, Paul.
Judy from Brooksville-Florida,, United States
I think the dramatic sky balances the busy village foreground, with the mountains between the two, binding them together. Could the halo be cloned out a little? It's only around the upper parts of the tree that it's at all bothersome. The upper edges of the mountains are tinged with light, but that works well.
It's a beautiful scene looking out over your village, Michael!
9 Jul 2008 6:51pm
@Judy: Yes, cloning was a possibility which I tried but rejected as slightly sloppy. In the end, I didn't mind the halo so left it with the idea that it even added to the slight surrealism of the image. Thanks for your suggestion and comment, Judy. I've since learned that halos which are common in HDR can be lessened by increasing the luminosity and smoothing!
Pascale Kisilak from Paris, France
Bien joli village, et très jolie photo Michael ;)
9 Jul 2008 8:20pm
@Pascale Kisilak: Merci, Pascale.
standley from brou-sur-chantereine, France
You live in a charming place Michael. HDR gives a nice 3D feel here. Great job!
9 Jul 2008 8:28pm
@standley: Many thanks, Richard.
Mandy Provan from Johannesburg, South Africa
wow - it look slike a painting Michael - great shot
9 Jul 2008 8:50pm
@Mandy Provan: Thanks, Mandy. I was hoping for a painting effect.
@Photo Traces: Many thanks for visiting.
amy from Nanaimo, BC, Canada
My HDR's never pan out... This is excellent, Michael!!
10 Jul 2008 2:17am
@amy: Thank you very much, Amy.
@Vink: Thank you very much, Vink.
@Twelvebit: Thank you very much, 12bit.
DSLR-A300
F/11.0
ISO 100
35 mm