I'm jumping on your bandwagon on the HDR issue, crudasill. I want my photographs to look as natural and realistic as possible, as close to what the eye sees naturally with its own 20/20, so-to-speak. I make every attempt when pressing the shutter button to get everything ahead of time, including composition, as close to perfect as I'm capable of doing--thereby leaving as little as possible for PhotoShop to correct.



More than half of them are HDR processed. This would make me feel inadequate as I am HDR-challenged, but I mostly also don't like it. I am clearly in the minority on this issue, so what it ultimately means is I'm just not going to win any contests if that's what judges want. That's okay. I'm not terribly competitive about my photography. I like it when people enjoy it, but I don't need official recognition.

Most HDR looks phony to me. I am told it's possible to use it without it looking so fake. I am sure I'd like it better if it wasn't so obvious and probably best if I could look at a picture and see a picture ... not "ah, HDR." I actually LIKE soft colors and textures, but it's not fashionable. I hope it will come back into style. I miss it.

Anyway, I figure HDR iis fine if it's what you want. As for me, I live here on Earth, so I'll think I'll stick with pictures that look like like home.