Cindy's Family Photos at Moknkey Rock
My niece and nephew in HDR
My sister asked me to take her fall family photos at Monkey Rock, located just outside of Newdale. We, along with our nephew, went out round 6pm on a day that was a bit cloudy and had decent lighting. I decided to do all of these in five-stack HDRs (a technique I love), which gives the photography a really interesting depth and look. Although they seemed to like it and some of these turned out to be really interesting, I'm not sure the surreal look of HDR is suited for this kind of photography.
What I would do different next time
Some of the HDR shots actually look amazing. The main issue I'm seeing here is that it is difficult to correct the highlights and whites when they are blown out. The best shots in HDR were a bit dimmer, with less harsh light leading to better editability. I think next time, rather than doing a five-stack (exposure bracket: -2,-1, 0, +1, +2), I will do a three-stack with just the interior numbers. Another thing, which is arguably more important, is being more careful about the placement of the subject(s), along with better timing for the lighting. Finally, I need to actually use a tripod when shooting stacked photos. The camera shake can sometimes ruin the blending of the photos.
