HDR without support

[JohnRostron]

Yesterday I visited the Houses of Parliament. Photography is prohibited in most of the Palace of Westminster, but is permitted in Westminster Hall. This is the original building. The walls are about 900 years old and there is no heating! Neither is there anywhere that you can lean on for support. I took my Canon Powershot SX260 HS compact and took two series of hand-held shots with different exposure values. I was using ISO 1600 to reduce shutter speed. #1 used five exposures, #2 used three. I then merged them in Photoshop and Nik HDR Pro2.

Considering the circumstances, they did not turn out too badly.These two images both show the entrance end of the hall.
#1


#2


What do you think?

John

[Shadowman]

The second image is relatively clean of noise, the first not so much.

[JR1]

I think you did well but 2 seconds in "noisware community edition" FREE

If you are unhappy please tell me and I will remove it

[marlunn]

nice shots, I think I would have rested camera on stair banisters and tried that in each direction, or maybe the floor to get a very different view ?

and sorry to divert but the thread title made me think of a medical condition with no support group, sorry, will go away now

[JohnRostron]

I think you did well but 2 seconds in "noisware community edition" FREE

If you are unhappy please tell me and I will remove it

I'm sorry, but I cannot see what you are getting at here.

John

[Mike Buckley]

OFF TOPIC

The walls are about 900 years old and there is no heating!

This relates to the exact reason people in homes and restaurants and even wine bars inappropriately serve red wine at room temperature, which is almost always too warm. The original definition of room temperature was very different than the definition generally used today when using modern temperature-control systems. That explains why more and more wine producers are suggesting on their wine label the ideal serving temperature of red wine, which generally ranges from 13 to 16 degrees Celsius (55 - 60 degrees Fahrenheit).

[wmoore]

I was using ISO 1600 to reduce shutter speed

Shouldn't that read "I was using ISO 1600 to increase shutter speed"

John what were the other camera settings ?

[IzzieK]

+1to John's comment.....

[Barbara Ponder]

Ok, I kinda like #1 especially as is. It almost looks like an old newspaper printed photo. With the antiquity of the building it just seems to fit. Just my 2 cents worth.

[JohnRostron]

I was using ISO 1600 to reduce shutter speed

Shouldn't that read "I was using ISO 1600 to increase shutter speed"

John what were the other camera settings ?

You are quite right. The exposures for the first were f/4 with shutter speed from 1/60 to 1/1250. For the second, they were f/4 with speed 1/30 to 1/125.

John

[JohnRostron]

I had originally said that the images were of opposite ends of the hall. They were both of the same (entrance) end. Here is an image of the opposite end, which leads onto the rest of the building, where parliament now sits.



This was not an HDR, but I stacked a darker image underneath and masked out the very overexposed window for the less overexposed window underneath. The main exposure was f/3.5 at 1/30.

The steps at the rear are where King Charles I sat when he was tried for treason (for defying parliament).

John

[zkogut]

What kind of potato did you use to take this?

[mrinmoyvk]

For me both are too noisy with first one unusable. If I consider that amount of light in the room was same as that seen in the images then slightly longer shutter speed would have helped rather than HDR. You need to have a steady hand for that though or support it on your stomach, knee somewhere...

[JohnRostron]

What kind of potato did you use to take this?

I take it that 'potato' is an insulting term for my camera. I do give the specs in my original post. I was aware that I would not be able to use a camera within the building. I took my Canon compact along (rather than lug around a DSLR) so I could take photos outside, then discovered I could use it within Westminster Hall. I started this thread so as to show what could be done with a limited camera with no support. There have been several helpful suggestions should I have a similar opportunity again (unlikely for parliament).

John

[JR1]

I'm sorry, but I cannot see what you are getting at here.

John

Notice how the NOISE in the image has gone

[JohnRostron]

Notice how the NOISE in the image has gone

Thanks for that. I did use Nike Define on some images, but not these. I have never heard of noiseware community edition, but I will look into it.

John