First HDR attempt

[KHarmon]

I attempted an HDR photo tonight at sunset. It's my first HDR attempt and it doesn't look like most of the HDR's I've seen on here. Of course, I don't really expect my stuff to look like the highly experienced folks on here.

KHarmon


HDR attempt by KHarmon1971, on Flickr

[Donald]

Kris

I suppose one question to consider is - What do you want it to look like?

Some people believe strongly that the HDR technique is and should be, a means to maker an image that otherwise would nor be possible without applying that technique. In other words, viewers should be unable to tell from the finished product that a number of photographs have been combined to cover the dynamic range and produce the final image.

If you haven't done so, a study of this tutorial here on CiC might help you think what it is you want to achieve.

[FrankMi]

Hi Kris, congratulations on taking the plunge into the world of HDR and kudos for not overdoing it on the first attempt. There are two things I would consider. First, in my mind, the entire top half of the image doesn't contribute to the composition. You may want to experiment with a lower crop so that the sunset colors take a more commanding position in the image. Second, the foreground is either too dark to see the detail, or two light to be a silhouette. Typically I would prefer to go one way or the other. If you have tonemapped the image and do decide to lighten the foreground, realize that the tonemapping process tends to leave the foliage looking too saturated, sometimes almost electric, so you may need to reduce the saturation of the foliage a bit if this occurs.

As both of these suggestions are personal taste, you may not want to achieve that kind of a look with your image, but they provide an alternate way of looking at the scene.