Roaming around Hong Kong’s Time Square with HDR post-processing

Standing on a traffic island with camera and tripod.

I’ve had HDR (high dynamic range) software for a couple of years and just never gotten around to experimenting with it.  Sitting around on a holiday with nothing to do, I decided to play with it.  HDR allows for an exaggerated range of luminance that takes a photo into the abstract and obviously loses it connection to reality.  Not everyone likes the results.  I happen to think that it works pretty well with night shots in a brightly lit urban environment.  However, a little can be insufferable sometimes.

All photos shot with a Nikon D700 and Nikkor AFS 14-24mm f/2.8 zoom lens.  Post processing with Capture One, Aperture 3 and Photomatrix HDR Tone Mapping software.

Old and the new.

Bus Stop.

Waiting for the bus.

Shanghai boulevard at night with Nikon wide angles lenses.

Shanghai tower with Nikon fisheye lens.

Last month I spent a week in Shanghai on the Pudong side of the river near the large TV-radio tower.  One night I took a long walk with my Nikon D700 and two lenses, the Nikkor – fisheye 16mm f/2.8l lens and the Nikkor 24mm f/1.4 lens.  These photos are some of the results of the photo walk.  I don’t know which ones I like more, the photos with the 24mm or the fisheye.  They lend a different feel to the photos but I think that they are both pleasing.   I happen to like the fisheye results as the severe distortion does focus attention on the center of the photo, that is, the area in the photo that has the least distortion.

Taillights in motion.

Passing bus.

Bus in fisheye.

Shooting the Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho in Bangkok with a 14-24mm wide angle lens.

First sight when entering the temple

The Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho is a very difficult subject to shoot, mainly because of its length, the closeness to the figure itself and the large columns that support the roof.  You end up having to shoot head first, feet first or between the columns.  Because of the limited vantage points, a wide angle lens gives you enough “room” to capture the entire image.  However, I think the best shots are of the detailed areas of the Buddha and not necessarily the entire figure. The wide angle also affords a better view of some of  the intricate detailing on the ceiling and support columns.

Photos were captured with a Nikon D700 and 14-24mm f/2.8 zoom lens.

Straight up

Between the columns

Lengthwise

Two pillows high