Well folks, I have now returned to Denver and my lovely wife and cats and I am only slightly jet lagged! The flight was uneventful which is always a good sign. On the morning I left Loch Leven to make to 2 hour speedy drive to Glasgow, the sun was in full, glorious shining mode once again and the view from the hotel was spectacular to say the least. If I can get around to it I will post a shot of the area tomorrow. It's very tough knowing that you really have to shimmie along in order to make the airport timeously, especially when the scenery is so great and the weather is being nice. I made a few stops but I also left behind some ethereal light on the hills. Well, I had to leave something for my next trip!
Today I want to say a few things about digital photography and the use (or overuse) of HDR or High Dynamic Range photography. HDR has become the 'big thing' in recent years to such an extent that, in most cases the work is easy to spot and the end product leaves a lot to be desired. HDR has a definable 'look' to it that is not always pleasant, but that doesn't have to be the case. Ones' lead should be taken from those who employ this technique to best advantage. I'm thinking of Dan Burkholder as a great example. I have been lucky to work with Dan on two occasions and have benefited greatly from his depth of knowledge and also his somewhat quirky yet infectious personality. Check out his book "The Color of Loss" that shows a collection of work he put together after the Hurricane Katrina disaster.
When used expeditiously HDR can definitely add to the visual experience. Below is a picture taken near Ardvreck Castle on my first photography day in Scotland. It was late in the day, the sun was going down and the shadows were strong. The first image is a single shot exposed correctly but I had to wait for the sun to almost disappear behind the clouds to reduce the contrast range.
The second shot was done using 5 different exposures and then blended with Photomatix software. All the tones are captured (except the darks which I wanted to stay dark). Some extra colors are captured and the contrast range is reduced. The image can be processed a number of different ways using this software but I try to keep my HDR work looking 'realistic' rather than garish or painterly. In this particular case, I think the second image has a greater feel than the first image.
I have now downloaded all my digital images and, as I posted previously, the real work is about to begin! Obviously I won't post everything (that would be boring) but I will certainly try to give you a cross section of the end results.
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