Corsa Power!

cyKey · 2 Apr 2006 at 15:16

I got tired of all the Corsa hatred so I took mine down to the beach for a play yesterday. We made sand castles, splashed around in puddles and generally had a good laugh. We sat and watched the sunset together when I though it might be a good time to try some bracketed HDR. My Corsa was a bit shy at first but I got her to relax.

You maybe wondering why I posted 2 almost identical shots. Well. Who says you need to bracket the exposure to produce a HDR shot? Thanks to the brilliant DJN @ Chromasia I learnt you can produce stunning photos from 1 single RAW file. Simply drop the exposure by 1.2, then keep one at 0, then boost the other by 1.2. Sometimes you have to vary the settings but as you can see you can get close to the same result. This means that you don't have to lug a tripod around all the time and can apply HDR style effects to non-landscape scenarios, as you will soon see

So all in all I feel it was a good experiment. I'm not 100% sure on the results yet. Whether I've taken the processing too far or not I just can't make up my mind.

cyKey · 2 Apr 2006 at 15:23

Matt said:
They do look very cool, though i don't like the wheel facing that direction, it looks a bit funny

Doh yer you're right. Should be going in the direction of the car. *smacks head*. Ho hum. Just gives me a reason to try it again

cyKey · 2 Apr 2006 at 15:36

Haha me too

I'll just ban him from IRC

cyKey · 2 Apr 2006 at 15:43

Fstop11 said:
1st and the last are the best. The turned wheel ruins them as it looks like its falling off. Might try it only half turned next time Love the capture in the paint work!

Yer I'm totally kicking myself

Rubbish day today too. Can't believe I never thought about it. I even specifically turned the wheel that way thinking "ok now point the wheels for the shot." Only turned them the wrong way though. *bangs head on desk*. Aside from that I'm guessing the processing is ok?

cyKey · 2 Apr 2006 at 16:02

Sleepyd said:
This assumes you have Photoshop CS2 or something similar?

Photoshop CS2 always complained about my HDR attempts to I switched to Photomatrix Pro.

cyKey · 2 Apr 2006 at 17:06

The normally exposed shot.

cyKey · 2 Apr 2006 at 19:28

Now I need a new location to redo this with the tyre going the right way

A DB9 would be handy too

cyKey · 2 Apr 2006 at 19:38

Shimmyhill said:
Really nice effect, shame about the wheel as has been said.

I have a corsa aswell, we could crash them into each other and rid the world of 2 more tho mine is getting changed as soon as new car is delivered so you had better hurry

Hmmm. HDR crash photography. Interesting...

cyKey · 2 Apr 2006 at 19:45

binaryknight said:
quite stunning wish i was capable of such an attempt only thing i can think of is that the car its self looks a touch over processed but probably just an artifact of hdr type pictures.

really cool shot tho think i might have to try this hdr mlarky!

I was thinking the same but I think its that detail that its actually the reflection of the clouds in the car.

Dave L said:
Is that a dent on the bonnet I see?

No, nope, really isn't, not at all

My car is dent free.

cyKey · 2 Apr 2006 at 21:05

skorp- said:
There's a reason people hate Corsas you know. They're awful to drive and aren't the most aesthetically pleasing car in the world.

I do like the effect though, with a little tweaking and a different subject it could prove very interesting.

Don't happen to have a DB9 by any chance?

I'll take a Db7 if I must

Oh and welcome to OcUK

cyKey · 2 Apr 2006 at 23:03

xolotl said:
And that's why the pictures seem a little weird to me.

This isn't a criticism of your picture. Just HDR in general. When looking at the pictures they just seem a little odd. I guess its just that were not used to seeing so much dynamic range in one shot but they just don't look right to me. Sure, it does give the picture a lot of impact but it just doesn't look right.

I totally understand. I used to think the same when I first saw them. It just isn't right

cyKey · 3 Apr 2006 at 11:42

Mohain said:
The tire thing aside I think these are great. You've made a pony car look the nuts, nice job Love the proessing. Love well done HDR shots. I'm still trying to get to grips with the process myself, all my attempts look awful.

That was the plan

Alex53 said:
Well I think the way the processing has brought out the reflections on the car is amazing. That 'over-processed' look might be a problem with some subjects such as nature landscapes, but certainly not with the artificial things of this world like cars. Thats my opinion anyway.

Cykey you have to share the knowledge of how you processed the first shot now...its so car-catalog-like it almost makes the Corsa look decent. Almost.

I will be writing a guide based on these shots to show people how to do it.

cyKey · 3 Apr 2006 at 12:13

DannyDan said:
The pics look great

Out of interest, which beach is it? I'm thinking West Kirby but I'm not sure.

Next to the marina at the far end of the promenade can be a nice place to take car pics, aslong as the gate is open.

Yer its West Kirby Marina, the top end where the wind surfers go.

cyKey · 5 Apr 2006 at 23:17

Had a quick go at getting a better shot. I hate myself for missing last nights sunset. It was just so stunning but I needed to finsih some work. Oh well.

Hopefully its sunny on Saturday and I'll return with some HDR shots of my mates S2000