#2

I could have guessed you age pretty close. I am 72 and make a game of standing on one foot at a time to put my legs through my boxers, and then my socks. When I was 70 I had to sit down to do both. So practice with your balance. I grade myself each morning on my balance. Highest grade so far is a C- on my left foot and a B- on my right, but practice makes perfect.

Welcome bicyclerepairman. I also love my D90. My strong preference for processing RAW files is Adobe Camera RAW, which comes with Photoshop, Lightroom and Photoshop Elements. I have used Nikon NX2, but not Lightroom or Corel Aftershot Pro. I have used other Corel products but they are quite frustrating and slow compared to Photoshop. Try it out first before buying it.

Thank you Wahawk. I have tried all the presets in HDR programs and found few (mostly called photo realistic) that could compare with doing it manually using Photoshop Layers and masks. Take more time for sure, but worth it in my opinion.

High Dynamic Range techniques are only required when the tonal range of the subject runs off the ends of your histogram either on the high side or the low side. That may require multiple exposures for best results in obtaining a full range of values with detail throughout.

Most images do not require it. So called "fake" HDR usually applies to those images that are single images where high or low values are near or are off the ends of the histogram. Those edits can still create excellent images as the "missing" pixels are not the important ones. In my opinion, good HDR edits do not look like HDR techniques were used. The image will retain good detail in both highlight and deep shadows and display a full tonal range from white to black.

The image posted, which you may have seen here before, was taken with a 6 shot, 8 stop spread to capture detail in the lights and the shadows. It was edited using Layers in Photoshop, not using any HDR software.

A REAL old time wooden frame could work great with this image, printed without a frame.

I generally do not like borders or frames, and especially funky or old-timey frames. A very simple thin border in black or white (depending on the image) can occasionally enhance an image. For example, an image with lots of white around the edges can benefit from a thin dark border if the image is to be displayed on a white background.

As for your image, which I think is quite good, it would much better, in my biased opinion, if there was no distracting border or frame.

I agree with Dlevon. I probably would not hire you either because of your negative attitude. What we want from our architectural photographers is to capture our designs from good viewpoints, with an interesting set-up or staging, which we help with or create ourselves, and with optimal lighting, either natural and/or artificial. Architects who spent many, many hours designing a building know what they want to emphasize in the design. A good architectural photographer needs to understand the architect's design intent and work with them to capture it. Great architectural photographers are a very rare species.

I discussed that briefly earlier. The widest ones from Nikon and Canon are 24 mm, which is OK for a full frame DSLR but at 35 mm equivalent, are not quite wide enough for interior work with the crop frame DSLRs. I used a Nikkor 35 mm PC lens with my film SLR back in the 70's and it was OK for exteriors and model shots, but compromised for interiors. If one uses a very wide angle lens (16 to 24 mm equivalent) and keeps the camera as level as possible to avoid excessive keystoning, perspective correction is easy in Photoshop.

Some of us architects are impossible to please, I agree. And the second part is sometimes true also. Doing architectural photography for architects is quite different from doing it for contractors or realtors... usually anyway. Some of them are perfectionists also. :)

Lighten up Wall-E. There is good information on here, not "pure bunk".

You are describing what a professional architectural photographer needs to do high end work, primarily for architects. In addition, the skill required might require apprenticeship as well a people skills to interact with the contractor and/or architect. Architectural training is also an advantage to assist in selecting the best point of views and timing for natural light.

If I understand what this job is about, photographing the process of construction at various stages, a DSLR with a wide angle lens, a tripod and some auxiliary lighting along with natural light should do just fine. Especially if this is for a contractor instead of an architect who may have much higher standards.

I also am a retired architect, and have worked with professional architectural photographers using 4 x 5 view cameras. For the renovation work documentation, a DSLR with a wide angle (I use a Tokina 11-16 mm with my Nikon D90) will do fine. Perspective correction can be done in Photoshop, so a perspective control (tilt/shift) lens is not necessary. They are not very wide angle (Nikon's widest is 24 mm or 36 mm equivalent) and suitable only for full frame cameras, in my opinion.

Developing a list of what the contractor wants to document would be the first thing to do. That will give you AND them an idea of the time requirements, as well as a preliminary description of scope that might allow you to set a fixed price for the job. Otherwise plan on charging by the hour, considering travel, job site time and editing and printing time. I get about $60/ hour for doing real estate work.

You are welcome. There is truly a lot of knowledge to be found here. I think I will go out and buy a gray card to try Nekon's procedure.

Here is some information on how dynamic range in DSLR sensors stack up. According to the second website below, the range is from 11 to 14 stops. Presumably in RAW files only. Note that 11 stops is more than Ansel Adams Zone System, which is 10 stops. When I had cameras that only shot Jpeg, I did a lot of HDR edits. Now that I shoot with a Nikon D90, I rarely need to use a full +/-2 stops for a good edit of a very high contrast subject. The key is to get the optimal exposure, as indicated by the histogram, and you may find you do not need either of the bracketed exposures to make a good edit.

http://www.digital-slr-guide.com/dynamic-range.html
http://hdriblog.com/2012/06/18/dynamic-range-of-sensors-june-2012/

Example of a 8 stop HDR from Jpeg files.