Paul Monday

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  2. Art and Experiments

HDR Photography

I have meshed many of my HDR photos within the galleries but just for curiosity, I figured I would push them all to a single smart gallery so I could look them over. I've noticed over the year / year and a half that I've been doing HDR photography my work has become more and more realism based rather than garish. I'm starting to use it more as a regular tool to expose shadows and reduce blowouts rather than some of the more extremist tone mapping that helps to teach the practice. Enjoy the gallery :) You'll find most of these among my other captures ... what I noticed as I went through these though is not what is IN the gallery, but what amazing pictures from my portfolio that are NOT in the gallery. Nature and photography is astounding in the shapes, light and forms it brings to us naturally.
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  • Sunset ... With a Tree

    Sunset ... With a Tree

    A beautiful spot near Roxborough Park that will soon be dense housing. The solitude of this loan tree speaks volumes as the open space around it contracts.

  • Dinner ... has past

    Dinner ... has past

  • The chimes still work.

    The chimes still work.

  • Taken at the height of caffeine withdrawal ... my dormant coffee gear

    Taken at the height of caffeine withdrawal ... my dormant coffee gear

  • Untitled photo
  • Just a Dusting

    Just a Dusting

  • The Color of Winter at the Flatirons

    The Color of Winter at the Flatirons

  • Rock Tornado - Arches National Park

    Rock Tornado - Arches National Park

  • Moose Ripples

    Moose Ripples

    Sometimes I bring very specific gear to get a very specific capture. In this case I got what I came for but ... just out of this frame is a moose and her calf bathing in the lake causing the ripples. While I captured my prey, maybe an open mind would have brought me a more beautiful capture, or maybe a memory is better yet.

  • This was a tricky shot, the sun was in front of me but as you know, our eyes see much more than our cameras. I went with an HDR approach on this one. As I was working with the image I crossed this point where it seemed almost pastel, I decided to stop here. This was the day before Easter and this had the Easter feel and morning look that I was hoping for and is closer than you would think to the original scene (backlit cherry blossoms, backlit trees and backlit capital building). Enjoy, this is definitely one of my favorites.

    This was a tricky shot, the sun was in front of me but as you know, our eyes see much more than our cameras. I went with an HDR approach on this one. As I was working with the image I crossed this point where it seemed almost pastel, I decided to stop here. This was the day before Easter and this had the Easter feel and morning look that I was hoping for and is closer than you would think to the original scene (backlit cherry blossoms, backlit trees and backlit capital building). Enjoy, this is definitely one of my favorites.

  • These are more HDR pictures as I tried to catch the brightness of the Spring leaves as they open up. This picture is along the side of the national mall, glance across the mall and you can see the cherry blossoms ;-)

    These are more HDR pictures as I tried to catch the brightness of the Spring leaves as they open up. This picture is along the side of the national mall, glance across the mall and you can see the cherry blossoms ;-)

  • I follow up the photo, again, with an HDR version. Here the stuff in the pool really adds amazing character and the trees come out more as they are at dusk, I'm very happy with this particular shot.

    I follow up the photo, again, with an HDR version. Here the stuff in the pool really adds amazing character and the trees come out more as they are at dusk, I'm very happy with this particular shot.

  • And here is the capital building at night with the lights burning bright. This is HDR but I cranked it down quite a bit. The goal was to make this as "real" as I could. Notice the curvature of the pool makes the picture look off balance, yet the capital is in balance ... I wanted the shot off center so this is the price one pays :)

    And here is the capital building at night with the lights burning bright. This is HDR but I cranked it down quite a bit. The goal was to make this as "real" as I could. Notice the curvature of the pool makes the picture look off balance, yet the capital is in balance ... I wanted the shot off center so this is the price one pays :)

  • This is a path down to the tidal basin from the Roosevelt Memorial.

    This is a path down to the tidal basin from the Roosevelt Memorial.

  • This is the first night out, I really wasn't sure what to expect so I set up and couldn't really relax very much. The shot turned out OK and kept me coming back for more. I think I realized with this shot just how difficult 100 yards of astroturf with big cement slabs around it was going to be.

    This is the first night out, I really wasn't sure what to expect so I set up and couldn't really relax very much. The shot turned out OK and kept me coming back for more. I think I realized with this shot just how difficult 100 yards of astroturf with big cement slabs around it was going to be.

  • The first thing you're going to say is "NO WAY", but yes way ... this picture probably doesn't let the reds come out enough. It was amazing. Note I switched sides of the field for this one. I wasn't sure where to go with it, amazing sunsets are more difficult than one would expect to take a capture and turn it around with the richness of the moment. I can't tell if it's just the stunning colors that are difficult or the grandness of the moment or possibly this picture just becomes so busy whereas the other night shots are very smooth. Maybe the next camp will get another great sunset to practice on ;-)

    The first thing you're going to say is "NO WAY", but yes way ... this picture probably doesn't let the reds come out enough. It was amazing. Note I switched sides of the field for this one. I wasn't sure where to go with it, amazing sunsets are more difficult than one would expect to take a capture and turn it around with the richness of the moment. I can't tell if it's just the stunning colors that are difficult or the grandness of the moment or possibly this picture just becomes so busy whereas the other night shots are very smooth. Maybe the next camp will get another great sunset to practice on ;-)

  • This was an interesting night, there was some humidity in the air and the sky was amazingly boring after the previous week's intense sunset. I waited and waited as the lights increased their contrast against the night sky and then the picture was there. This, again, is one I'm particularly fond of.

    This was an interesting night, there was some humidity in the air and the sky was amazingly boring after the previous week's intense sunset. I waited and waited as the lights increased their contrast against the night sky and then the picture was there. This, again, is one I'm particularly fond of.

  • I call this the "Bird Tree" at City Park. This is an unabashedly HDR photograph with two stops separating the three images. The textures in the sky were fun and the way the open sky haloed the tree was too cool to pass up and fit into HDR so well I couldn't resist.

    I call this the "Bird Tree" at City Park. This is an unabashedly HDR photograph with two stops separating the three images. The textures in the sky were fun and the way the open sky haloed the tree was too cool to pass up and fit into HDR so well I couldn't resist.

  • Rain Delay

    Rain Delay

  • This is a spot on the West side of Bierstadt as you approach it on Guanella Pass. Obviously there is some amount of laying in the middle of a cascade to get this, the entire cascade probably went over 100 feet so there are ample locations to set up and risk falling in and still get a unique capture.

    This is a spot on the West side of Bierstadt as you approach it on Guanella Pass. Obviously there is some amount of laying in the middle of a cascade to get this, the entire cascade probably went over 100 feet so there are ample locations to set up and risk falling in and still get a unique capture.

  • Ok, I couldn't resist this image. This is the skyline arch with a single exposure HDR image. The shadow from the original bothered me but this is a fun take on the abstractness of the scene from the skyline arch.

    Ok, I couldn't resist this image. This is the skyline arch with a single exposure HDR image. The shadow from the original bothered me but this is a fun take on the abstractness of the scene from the skyline arch.

  • We catch at least a game a year at the National's Stadium, they are looking awfully good this year, could be some trouble ahead for the Rockies. Nonetheless, I think the DC fans are a bit skeptical of their team ;-)

    We catch at least a game a year at the National's Stadium, they are looking awfully good this year, could be some trouble ahead for the Rockies. Nonetheless, I think the DC fans are a bit skeptical of their team ;-)

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    Sunset ... With a Tree
    Dinner ... has past
    The chimes still work.