HDR from 10 exposures processed in PS CS2 .  The clouds were moving hence the sky, which rather spoilt the star burst I was hoping for from the sun at the apex of the arm - but one of those things with hdr you don't know exactly what you will get till it is processed.

Yeah it's always one of those you dont know how it's worked till you finally tone map the image...It's nice to see such a clean HDR I think many are rapidly forgetting what it's all about (I'm included in that LOL) thanks for sharing it with us buddy and yeah the full size view is wicked!

Yeah it is always a problem with highlights and shadows.. As I said the B/W  image works so well given me another avenue to explore

Really nice Richard, the way I like to see HDR (most of the time). Shame about that flare. :)

Nicely done, I thought the B+W version was superb btw.
Actually now I come to think of it , if you want a suggestion (which you maybe don't but I'm going to anyway, lol), I think it would look pretty good in B+W but with the digger's body and arm left in colour.

• Andy

This is very subtle and looks natural- A layperson would not even suspect that the image was composed from several exposures.  I think this really demonstrates a more natural and realistic view or use of HDR. The light levels in the shadowed areas (like the shovels) is pretty amazing, yet not overpowering- a hint that there is more to the image than just a single exposure.  Very well done!
If I may ask, as a newbie, do you go about acquiring the different exposures for HDR by setting the shutter speed and aperature both or just one or the other?

I think all three have their merits - personal preference I suppose.

Hi Jeff

The way I determine exposures is by getting a best possible normal shot with evaluative metering and this will be my start point. This should be done with the camera set to Aperture priority ( very important ) . 
I then switch to manual exposure. You must keep the same aperture or the DOF will vary and ruin the sequence. I then alter the shutter speed to over expose by 4 stops and I take the first shot, I continue taking shots increasing the shutter speed each time  until I have a almost black image . 
That's my range of shots - how many depends on the dynamic range of the scene. 

I shoot in RAW so when processing - batch process making sure you have the white balance set  for the whole batch and no auto controls on which would alter exposures, contrast, saturation,  etc. I then merge the 16bit tiffs.

There is a church interior shot in my gallery which was taken some time ago - I used the same method for this .

R

Richard,
Thanks for listing the steps, I think this is the clearest "how to" I have seen for this, as I had attempted to follow this guide: http://www.hdrsoft.com/resources/dri.html#capture and got caught up trying to have the exposure bracketing do the trick- well and I had a hard time understanding a few of the steps they were listing - as a newbie I sure as hell wont understand "...take as a basis the exposure time measured for the highlights. Multiply this number by 4 to find the next exposure with a stop spacing of 2 EV..."  so I pretty much tuned that part out...  

Needless to say, I like your explination a hell of a lot better!!
I have got to try this very very soon!

Yep - there are some unnecessarily complicated explanations about.  

I like to keep things simple

Basically what you are after is a series of shots from overexposed to underexposed .  

If you want fewer pics to merge then move the shutter control two stops each time instead of one.  It can also be done by shooting Jpegs to reduce file sizes, but make sure the WB is set manually don't leave it on auto.

Apart from that if using PS follow the steps in the manual.
The resulting image will still need postworking, you won't end up with the finished work .Keep in mind not to lose the qualities of the hdr by over cooking the postwork.

I think the one posted in your gallery is still the best!