Railroad along the Bow - Photoshop CS5 HDR Pro Example

As previously mentioned in an earlier post, I was a beta tester for Photoshop CS5.  It is an incredible software package for photo editing and I have been putting it though some tests to see what it can do.  The last CS5 post of mine was of the brilliant Content Aware Fill feature.  Today I will show you what the HDR Pro feature does for High Dynamic Range pictures.

I have been trying to take multiple bracketed multiple exposures (-2EV,0EV,+2EV) when I see there is too much contrast with the highlights and shadows in a scene.  Before CS5 I used Photomatix for my HDR shots and found it pretty good and making some great pictures.  Now Adobe has greatly improved it's HDR processing in CS5.

©Matt Graham 2010 - Railroad along the Bow (Bracketed Exposures)

After tweaking with the settings that HDR Pro has, sharpening the image and adding some pop to the image, here is "Railroad along the Bow".  This was taken outside the Banff Townsite down the banks of the Bow River on Highway 1A. I wanted to see if there were any animals lurking, as the railroads typically drop grain along the railway. The clouds were really interesting, banding in ripples from the mountain range and to the east towards Canmore.

©Matt Graham 2010 - Railway along the Bow

Lower Kananaskis Lake Reflection

It amazes me how many people in Calgary say that they have never been to Kananaskis Country west of Calgary.  When I moved to Calgary, I was so excited to be with in an hour of some amazing hikes, cross-country ski trails and beautiful scenery.  Here is one I took on a nice afternoon day in August of the Lower Kananaskis Lake reservoir.

©Matt Graham 2009 - Lower Kananaskis Lake Reflection

Calgary Mountain Vista - 23rd floor Bankers Hall

I recently moved office rooms at my office in Bankers Hall West.  I had a good view of the mountains and my recent move more south opened up the mountain vista even more! Its not the best as there was glare on the dirty window, but its a good view that I will soon miss as I am transferring to Pittsburgh PA pretty soon!©Matt Graham 2010 - Calgary Mountain Vista

Mt. Fisher in the Morning

Winter is a great time to take pictures.  The light is at a low angle which makes landscapes great.  I drove out to Kananaskis this past weekend to get some great shots.  Unknownly to myself, I shot the first half of the day in JPEG, not the usual RAW.  Oh well, I did make a 3 exposure HDR shot of Mt Fisher in the background. 

©Matt Graham 2009 - Mt Fisher in the Morning (HDR)

Starry Night

I have always been amazed at pictures on the web with tons of stars shining on a clear sky. So here is my first try.  I know it could be better, but I was shocked at how many stars popped out after a 30 second exposure!

©Matt Graham 2009 - Yamnuska and Stars

Autumn Sunset

The days are getting shorter and that means sunrise and sunset are more easy to get to for picture taking.  Not that I hate getting up early, but 5 am to get a great sunrise can be a stretch! Here are the eastern slopes of the Rockies north of Cochrane,AB. I took as a 1 minute exposure with a 5 stop ND filter.

©Matt Graham 2009 - Autumn Sunset

Canon Digital Rebel XSi
Canon EF 17-40 mm F/4L USM at 38 mm
60 sec at F/6.3 (0 EV)
Singh-Ray 5-stop Solid Neutral Density filter