For those of you who read my recent article on High Dynamic Range images, you’re already aware of the power of HDR in creating images that trample the boundaries of traditional photography. When pushed to the max, it’s quite easy to create eerie, surreal or just plain fake looking photos.
I recently did some night photography at the old train yard outside of downtown St. Paul, near Shepard Rd. The photo opportunities were endless. Surprisingly, both times I was approached by someone with a blaring walkie-talkie on their belt, I didn’t get kicked out – they only stopped to chat photography. And trains.
During processing, I realized that the combination of night photography (and expsoure times ranging 3 to 20 seconds) and a yellow-orange cast from the surrounding lights didn’t produce the best HDR candidates. Furthermore, all HDR work was done with single RAW image file, so the final images where littered with digital noise, despite shooting at ISO 200. I tried to restrain myself from creating images that looked like they belonged in Alice in Wonderland; I wanted the casual viewer to be fascinated, not suspicious.
Pair this setting with some Armin Van Buuren iPod action, and it was quite the eerie experience (the fog helped). I hope these images capture that!
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