# Cactus Garden



## Arlon (Feb 8, 2005)

Three image HDR stack.
On top of the perimeter walls of Mission San Jose (San Antonio)









Larger view HERE.


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## Gator_Nutz (Sep 27, 2006)

Very nice Arlon. I really like this one.


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## MT Stringer (May 21, 2004)

That is awesome!
Mike


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## Brent (May 26, 2004)

That photograph is on a different level. It has a very natural but surrealistic look to it, and I like it A LOT!!! It makes me really wish I had a clue what a three image HDR stack is.....


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## Arlon (Feb 8, 2005)

Thanks for the comments.

Brent, HDR (High Dynamic Range) basically takes several exposures of the same image and stacks the best parts. Photomatix is the software I use that makes it pretty much automatic. One over exposed with blown out sky picks up the shadows, one normal and one underexposed gives the sky back (steady hand or tripod required). Put them togather and you can DISPLAY parts that are exposed in a way that a single exposure could never capture..

It's a lot of fun and works with about any camera you can come up with. Some examples from my P&S and the nikon are out in my pbase gallery HERE.


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## Arlon (Feb 8, 2005)

Here are the originals (in low res) that went into the stack above just to give an idea of what photomatix is doing...


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## Gator_Nutz (Sep 27, 2006)

When you say stack, in Photomatix are you just generating an HDR or does your version of the software actually use the word stack? I don't see stack anywhere in my version.


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## Arlon (Feb 8, 2005)

I'm just using the term generically. These are "HDR". They call stack, combine I believe in photomatix. It's an exposure combiine, not a focus stack like combineZ (freeware). Good *FOCUS* stacking example in HERE. Check the rose, last picture is the "focus stack".

This rose image below was done using "tone compression" in photomatix instead of HDR (from 3 images) in photomatix.. Really m akes the colors "pop".

Photomatix is very powerful program but it takes awhile to figure it out. I still have a long way to go I think. ALso costs $100.


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## let's go (Nov 14, 2005)

Looks more like a painting than a photo. I might have to try some of this if my tripod components ever get here. C'mon brown truck!


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## Arlon (Feb 8, 2005)

Tripod is handy but not totally required. The allignment routine in photomatix is pretty good if you are just off a little. The rose was shot from a tripod but the cactus garden was just handheld very carefully. A camera with a bracketing mode can be pretty useful too but certainly not a requirement.


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## TexasCityDave (Mar 11, 2005)

Good work/fun Arlon. I appreciate information on how you achieved the beautiful colors. 

I use the search function a lot and have found a wealth of info, but it's always nice when someone as yourself adds some of the how's and why's used to create your fine work.
Thanks.


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## Brent (May 26, 2004)

Arlon said:


> Thanks for the comments.
> 
> Brent, HDR (High Dynamic Range) basically takes several exposures of the same image and stacks the best parts. Photomatix is the software I use that makes it pretty much automatic. One over exposed with blown out sky picks up the shadows, one normal and one underexposed gives the sky back (steady hand or tripod required). Put them togather and you can DISPLAY parts that are exposed in a way that a single exposure could never capture..
> 
> It's a lot of fun and works with about any camera you can come up with. Some examples from my P&S and the nikon are out in my pbase gallery HERE.


Looks like it beats the heck out of dodging and burning, and Ansel is probably rolling over in his grave....

I know people on message boards get tired of being drug through the mud again to bring a new guy up to speed on and old subject, but I appreciate it. I have downloaded the freeware and the trial pro-version of Photomatix to see if I can do anything with it. Thanks.......


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## Arlon (Feb 8, 2005)

Brent, if folks get tired of updating new folks, the just need to remember when they where the ones getting the "updates". How soon we forget (-:}


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