HDR

I’ve been using the Sony a77 M2 for over a month.  With many new features compared to the a700, I’m still in the learning mode.  Occasionally, I’ve tried the in camera HDR feature. Strictly speaking it isn’t a new feature. My Konica Minolta 7D had a similar option. Yesterday, I was taking pics of my paragliding friends launching from a spot above Makapuu Beach.  It was late in the day and the launch was in shadow.  I decided to try HDR to see how it balances the shadow side with the brighter side of the scene compared to a RAW image.  The shot below is the result.

 

 

Here, as in other HDR images I’ve made, the colors are stronger. The greens are more intense than the RAW version. The blues are deeper.  Plus, the image is sharper without being over sharpened.  Below, is a pic taken in RAW and exported as a JPEG from a moment before.  While it did a good job handling the shadows, the colors are muted.(Or more realistic.)

 

 

The only adjustments I’ve made to the pics was standard sharpening upon import to Lightroom.  I also used a graduated filter in the sky to bring out the clouds.

Vertical Panorama 2

On Wednesday of this week (9/16) I assisted a couple of my Hang Gliding friends launch from Kamehame Ridge above Waimanalo.  Being a beautiful clear morning I decided to walk to a higher point along the ridge known as “Three Poles”.  On days like this you’re rewarded for your effort with a view of the eastern most point of Oahu looking towards Molokai across the Molokai Channel.

Capturing this view in one shot is beyond the capability of my photo gear.  Instead, using my wide angle lens 17-35 (effectively 25-52 on my Sony A700) I made a series of vertical shots.  After importing the 23 shots into Lightroom for processing the individual exposures I ran them in the Photoshop CS4 merge to Panorama action.