Today’s post from a first time contributor to PhotoCreative365 Joe Morgan…… to find out more about Joe then follow the links at the end of the post……enjoy……

A trip to the Maldives & my first attempt at HDR – by Joe Morgan

Wow! Just wow! No words can really explain how beautiful this part of the world really is. There’s something magical about these tiny islands.  The isolation… the privacy… wonderful beaches and complete solitude.

Travelling to our Island by seaplane gave us the first glimpse of that beauty. Situated in the Indian Ocean, the Maldive Islands are an island nation formed by a double chain of twenty-six atolls stretching in the north south direction off India’s Lakshadweep islands.

On shore, our front garden resembled that of a post card, golden white sands and crystal blue seas. It gave me ample opportunity to take the camera out to capture this beauty on digital stills.

When the skies darkened and the stars came out the play, the pool offered a relaxing retreat to enjoy the evenings entertainment & happened to have an inclusive bar during the day should a morning in the sun leave you quenching for thirst.

Being a family holiday I wanted to make sure I didn’t just run off & capture the wonderful surrounds but also take some action packed photos of the family. Having recently purchased my 1D Mark III I was a little reluctant at first to take my kit waist deep into the sea but when I played back the photos I had captured there was no stopping me.

There was also a wide selection of nature to capture too, from this friendly Hermit crab to a 30ft Whale shark I was able to capture on video whilst scuba diving.

I did have to wait a good 45 minutes for this chap to show his face though, allowing me to capture a lovely exposure before it ran back to the rocks

In my two weeks on Sun Island, my camera saw plenty of action. This is just a snippet of the adventures and the beauty I was lucky enough to capture. If you ever have the opportunity or if you are ever thinking about it, I would strongly recommend taking a trip out there. If you wish to see more photos of my adventures please visit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bekids/sets/72157625318808856/

My first attempt at HDR

 

Being in such a beautiful location & having just finished reading Bryan Petersons Field Guide & reading an article in Photography Monthly about HDR, I finally decided it was time to experiment with some HDR photography.

Using the shot bracketing feature, I set my camera up on the tripod with my Sigma 24-70mm & grad filter and set about composing my shots – once composed, I set my exposure then took 4 more shots at -2, -1, +1 and +2.

At this point it was mostly trial & error – its good practise to note down what you are doing. I tried a different combination of (0) exposures, from exposing correctly for the sun or for the skies or a variety of creative exposures. I wanted a variety of bracketing shots to play with once back home in sunny England!

Once home, I bought myself a copy of Photomatix, it seemed to be the most recommended, and although the UI is a little clunky, the results you can produce are superb.

Through trial & error and playing around & understanding what each adjustment does, I would finally reach a point where I was happy. Once complete, I would export to Photoshop to finish the job, sharpen edges, remove any ghosting artefacts or spots in the sky & viola – I had my first couple of HDR Images.

 

Joe Morgan

Joe is an amateur photographer who one day hopes to make a living from his passion.  He took photography like a duck to water & never wanted to do anything else.

His biggest passion is exploring the world and capturing the beauty each chapter of his travels unveils.

When he is not capturing his travels, he is the official photographer for Hooked on Horses magazine & also covers a variety of events through his full time job working in PR & Marketing.

www.joemorganphotography.com

Twitter.com/mrjoemorgan

Flickr.com/bekids

Facebook.com/joemorganphotography