No Filter? No Problem

I love taking pictures of flowing streams or waterfalls. Generally I bring a Neutral Density (ND) filter with me so that I can take a nice long exposure without blowing out the highlights. Sometimes though, I don’t have it with me when I see a nice spot. In this case, bracketing and HDR saves the day. For example, the picture on this page I was able to use 4 brackets and blend them together to get that “running” water look.

With a nice natural scene like this, you don’t want to go crazy with the HDR. I kept the tone-mapping down to a minimum and brought the saturation down. This isn’t a grungy scene so don’t try to make it so. With a little practice you can create a look that looks very natural (if smooth cottony water is “natural” with minimal work. I finished it up with a little selective sharpening of the rocks in Light Room 4. Not bad given the limitations of the hardware.

If anyone wants to know the exact secret sauce let me know.