Today I have two more images of the Keltic Lodge. After last week’s post, I had a comment on the blog from the Keltic Lodge itself, what a nice surprise. They let me know that the building I had photographed was the Ceilidh (pronounced Kay_Lee) Hall. A Ceilidh is a traditional Gaelic social gathering which usually involves playing Gaelic folk music.
The photos below are the main building of the Keltic Lodge Resort taken from Ingonish Beach. There are two versions of the exact same image, just processed differently. The first is a more natural view.
The second was processed using Topaz Adjust for a more HDR-like look. It is not HDR, just a pseudo HDR.
Sometimes it is difficult to know if I have taken the processing too far when I’ve been looking at a lot of HDR images. I like them both, but they feel different from each other and probably have different uses. The first might be used by a magazine or as a stock image, while the second is more artsy and would probably make an interesting framed print or canvas.
Do you prefer one over the other?
Anne I really like HDR but in this case I think I have to go with your first shot (the non-psuedo HDR). I like the color of the sky and the feel of the surf in the first shot more.
Edith, thank you very much for your comments and feedback on the images. I think people don’t like to say if they do not like something, but I am completely open to opinions. Sometimes I just cannot decide which one is better so I like to get input from others. I really do appreciate it.
Hi Anne, One thing I always do with HDR or psuedo HDR images is to use a desaturation layer in Photoshop. I then use a small brush and desaturate by (about 30%) the reds, green foliage, and other parts of the image that are just a bit “too much”. It works really well to balance the image, I think. Good luck!
Thanks Wendy, I appreciate your suggestion. That sounds like a good idea, I’ll give it a shot.
I like the top version.
Thanks for letting me know Alan. Well, it seems unanimous. I got lots of feedback on twitter and Google+ and every single person liked the first one better. I think I prefer the more natural looking images to the obviously over processed ones. Although sometimes, only occasionally, that cartoony look you can be pulled off well.
I think I see what you mean about the photos. I find I don’t like HDR on screen but then I see it in print and find I tend to like it better. I imagine its cause the print is reflective and doesn’t feel so bright everywhere.
Hi Charlie, good point. I rarely get prints. That’s a whole side of things I know very little about. Of course I have some of my images printed and a few canvases, but I don’t print everything and I print nothing myself. Well that’s one good thing about photography, there is always more to learn.
I like the second image because when I am out in nature it IS Vibrant and I want my photos to look exactly like the real thing. Thank you for your web site – I am really glad I found you.