Some HDR Experimentation Using Oloneo PhotoEngine

The past couple of weekends I’ve been revisiting my archive of past-taken photos (specifically, photos from my 2009 trip to Europe), and looking at them in a entirely new light.  In some cases, I went back to the RAW files of photos I didn’t bother processing or using before because I didn’t think the photos were “good.”  In other cases, I took  photos I’d previously processed and used, and rebuilt them from the RAW file up using skills and software tools I just didn’t have the first go-round.   It was a good learning experience, and I ended up with several portfolio-worthy images that weren’t there before.

Last week, I did an article where I talked about my workflow for outdoor HDR type photos – that work flow was consistently used in these photos.  I did about 50 photos in total over the weekend, but here below are some of the better ones.  Just click on the photos to see them larger.

These first two photos were taken in Geneva, Switzerland.  They’re an example of HDR tone mapping done for a more natural feel:

This third photo was also taken in Geneva, but is clearly more heavily processed.  I was going for a more “painterly” feel:

The next photos were all taken in Berlin, Germany.  Some were done in a more photo-realistic, or photo-journalistic style (which tends to be my go-to style) but in several I tried to push the boundaries of my normal preferences in order to create “art.”

Here’s a photo of the Brandenburg Gate very aggressively processed – not my usual style, but I like it:

Next up we have a photo of the Berlin Dome, taken from a perspective so as to also capture the famous “Fernsehturm” (German for “television tower”):

Here’s a photo of the breathtaking interior of the Berlin Dome.  This would have been a perfect setting to do bracketed exposures, but at the time HDR wasn’t as well known of a technique as it has since become.  Still, tone mapping this single exposure is a marked improvement over the previous version I had of this particular image:

While in Berlin, I was able to take an air tour of the city aboard a classic DC-3 “Candy Bomber” (the Germans often called them Rosinenbombers or Raisin Bombers).  It was a real treat given my professional association with the Air Force (I do some defense contracting work for the Air Force) and my love of aviation in general.  Here’s some photos of the DC-3 I flew on:

Here’s a photo of myself taken next to the same plane.  This time I was going for a more “vintage” or WWII era look to the photo.  I’m not sure if I succeeded, but I think it turned out well, and I might actually print this one on a gallery wrap for my office:

Please do let me know your thoughts on the above photos as they’re quite “experimental” in nature.  Any and all feedback appreciated.