Does anyone remember HDR? It was all the rage 10 years ago. At least it was in Sacramento and Yolo Counties. That was also the time I started doing photography. So I learned how to bracket photos and and process them in Photomatix (The go to program of the day.) to get that painterly look. I’m sure Photomatix would have given me a less painterly look, but that was what we were looking for “in the day!”

I’m bringing this up because looking for balconies in my archives for PR’s Balconies challenge, I realized that most of my photos were HDR images. I also realized that the painterly look made them look soft, or it might have been my skill level at the time.

What fun I had reprocessing them, trying to get them to look less like a painting. Here’s the bunch I worked on. All of them were taken in small country towns. Wood structures with wood balconies. Today, I wouldn’t use HDR for these photos. However, Lightroom will process HDR images without the painterly look. I do like the “look” in the last photo.

I did find two images that I didn’t photograph in HDR. The one on the left is our California Governor’s Mansion. I had an opportunity to tour it when they were restoring the home.

Here’s a blurb on the residence from Wikipedia: The California Governor’s Mansion is the official residence of the governor of California, located in Sacramento, the capital of California. Built in 1877, the estate was purchased by the Californian government in 1903 and has served as the executive residence for 14 governors. The mansion was occupied by governors between 1903–1967 and 2015–2019. Since 1967, the mansion has been managed by California State Parks as the Governor’s Mansion State Historic Park.

The house on the right was a house I liked because of the way it was framed and the green trim.

So these are the balconies from the first two years of my photography education. As far as HDR, it’s still useful. I used it when I shot Real Estate photos. I didn’t have any light systems, so I used HDR. I would go in a dark closet, take my three frames, process it in Lightroom and end up with a lighted closet.

Thanks PR for taking me back to the fad of the day when I started photography. When you respond to this fun challenge, please remember to link to her post and use the Lens-Artists tag. And didn’t everyone have fun pairing photos in response to Elizabeth’s Challenge. I was amazed at the varied interpretations that were presented.

And thank you to our three guest hosts: Leanne, PR and Elizabeth. The Lens Artists team will be back next week with Patti presenting the challenge. Be sure to look for her post.

38 thoughts on “Lens Artists Challenge #309: Balconies”

  2. I’m glad you found some balconies Anne, they are all great examples. I remember HDR, I haven’t done one for years, though I still thing night photos are better with them. Maybe I should try doing it again to see if I still think that. Great post Anne.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thanks Leanne! I had fun finding these photos. But when I look at them now, I go yikes! I think HDR has its place, but I’m glad the fad is over. Let me know when you do a night photo using HDR. How would that work with long exposure?

      Like

      Reply

  3. A fine set of country town balconies, Anne. And as Margaret says, they are very different from most European ones. Perhaps it’s the timber framed construction that makes the difference: something very homely about them.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  4. I remember the HDR fad although I never really tried it. I think a touch of that effect can look really good but there were a lot of over-done examples around. Your softening of the effect on your old photos is clearly well executed as they look lovely 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  5. Well, wasn’t that a good trip down memory lane! Thanks for the HDR images — some did survive the process well! — and Photomatix. Great photos, Anne. About HDR and Photomatix, I have some images that I now call “nuclear edits.”

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  6. Fab photos of balconies, Anne. HDR seemed like a useful tool. Your pics look great! I have to agree that US architecture and balconies have a “western” rustic look to them that differentiates them from any other.

    The first time I drove through Sutter Creek in 1980, I was in awe. Anyhoo, gorgeous examples of balconies from the west!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  9. Everything is larger in the US, even the balconies 🙂

    Interesting HDRs from long back. My phone does many things including that by default. I suspect that some of what you are calling softness is probably digital artifacts from the processing: it was a long time ago and image quality would have been very different.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  11. Beautiful balconies, Anne 🙂. Actually, I still convert some of my images to HDR, using snapseed. They give a bit of dramatic look – when I am looking for it, to make an otherwise dull looking picture due to cloudy skies. But the softwares have become better than 10 years back. That said, the topic is balconies – so I am glad that you pulled out some from your archives and also had a nostalgia trip in the process 😀.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  14. I had a strange relationship with HDR. I’d love to see it in other people’s photos but not on mine… Nice to look back to it. Of all your photos, the one that impressed me the most was the Governor’s Mansion, I love the building and how you captured it. The light is also lovely.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  17. Pingback: Lens-ArtistPC24-309-Balconies – WoollyMuses

  18.  Beautiful balconies, Anne! I like the how you processed these through Photomatix. I love the “look” in the last photo. I haven’t use HDR for a long while. 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

Leave a comment