The Beach on Friday

Arnside Viaduct, originally uploaded by Bay Photographic.

After work on Friday, I had a walk along the beach and took some photos in RAW format, in brackets of three. It was windy and overcast, similar to the day I went to Sunderland Point, so I was hoping for some similar post processing effects with Photomatix. I have read a number of comments on HDR photos on Flickr recently from people who say that HDR is just a passing fad, and that they are bored with it already. I'm not at all sure i can agree with that. It seems to me that it gives a good shot a whole new dimension, and that it illuminates scenes that would otherwise be muddy and uninteresting.
For my money, there are two things it can't do though. It can't change what is in the picture, just the way it looks, so it can't turn a poor shot into a great one. Nor can it provide a reason in itself for taking a photograph.
I suppose some people do rather overdo it, and get results that look like they are coloured pencil drawings, but then some people overdo saturation and contrast, and they are hardly passing fads.

For me, living in the North of England, one of the real advantages of HDR is that I can take worthwhile photographs on overcast days.

I quite like this shot. As usual, I had to alter the horizon in post. I don't know why, but i never shoot level horizons in Arnside. I have a feeling it is because the skyline is actually the railway line as it passes over the estuary, and it is at an angle to the promenade, so if I get the real horizon level, it looks crooked in the shot. I have tried a spirit level on the tripod, but the results looked like i had spent the afternoon in The Albion.