Windmill and Double Rainbow in HDR

By
Services for Real Estate Pros with Mike Hendren Photography




 Photo © Mike Hendren, 2009

This summer, after a thunderstorm had passed overhead, I noticed a double rainbow out my window. After taking a few shots, my wife got home and said, "You've got to see the rainbow at our neighbor's house." So I grabbed my camera and drove down.

It was such a nice setup with the bright double rainbow, seemingly coming down right at their house.  The sun was shining in the foreground and there was a dark sky behind to highlight the entire scene.

I only got a single exposure of this so a true HDR image was not possible. So I made a virtual copy in Lightroom, exported the two images to Photomatix Pro, and separated them with 4 ev (that's a function of Photomatix). After the Photomatix processing, I imported the results back in to Lightroom. There I cooled the color temp. a little to get the sky a little bluer, and with a few more tweaks of color and sharpening, ended up with this.

You can see a part of the result of the HDR processing in the halo around the windmill. This can happen when an image is sort of "overprocessed" in Photomatix and is not always desirable. However, in this case, I did it on purpose just because I liked the extra contrast around the windmill blades.

Prints of this image are available at My Zenfolio:
mikehendren.zenfolio.com/

You can see my Photo Blog at:
http://thrumikesviewfinder.com/


Comments (12)

Tim Bradley
Contour Investment Properties - Jackson Hole, WY
Commercial Real Estate Expert in Jackson Hole, WY

That's a great image, Mike. Thanks for sharing the rainbows and your technique.

Dec 04, 2009 08:17 AM
Bill Saunders, Realtor®
Meyers Realty - Hot Springs, AR
www.BillSellsHotSprings.com

Wow Mike, that is a wonderful image! One of these days, maybe I will....well, it will probably be a while, because I still have to crop out the flash reflection in my indoor shots :)

Dec 04, 2009 08:44 AM
Ruth Vogt
Fairway Independent Mortgage, LLS. Equal Housing Opportunity. Regulated by the Division of Real Estate. - Colorado Springs, CO
719-592-0855 Apply 24/7 www.ColoradoHomeLender.com

What a great photo ... surprised it waited long enough for you to get the snap!

Dec 04, 2009 10:00 AM
Debi Boucher
Real Estate Showcase Photography - Woodland Park, CO
"Realtor Showcase" - Real Estate Photography/Virtual Tours

WhooHoo! Excellent! I love the processing - you did a great job with an already awesome shot :)

Debi

Dec 04, 2009 10:52 AM
Gene Allen
Fathom Realty - Cary, NC
Realty Consultant for Cary Real Estate

Nice image and a lot of work and thanks for sharing with us.

Dec 04, 2009 02:02 PM
Sharon & Bruce Walter
Keller Williams Realty Lafayette, IN - Lafayette, IN
West Lafayette homes for sale

Mike, this is an absolute incredible photo!!!!!!!

Dec 04, 2009 03:50 PM
Marcia Hawken
WILLIAM RAVEIS - Naples, FL
Naples Luxury Specialist

Lots of effort for a spectacular photo.  Don't know about Photomax.  Will have to check it out. :-)

Dec 04, 2009 08:33 PM
Michael Cole
CPG Tours - Orange, CA

Hi Mike,

Excellent work! It looks awesome. Thanks for sharing.

Dec 04, 2009 08:57 PM
John Mayer
Oikos Realty, Cape Canaveral, Cocoa Beach Florida - Cocoa Beach, FL
Your Beach Area Expert

Mike - That is a truly professional photo. Most people don't realize what it takes to produce high quality images like this one. I process my 8mp Canon raw photos and they turn out pretty good but upgrading to your level is on my list.  

Dec 04, 2009 11:40 PM
Andrea Swiedler
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices New England Properties - New Milford, CT
Realtor, Southern Litchfield County CT

Mike, I love that photo, and love how you made it HDR despite not having the bracketed photos to do it with. I purchased, on your recommendation, the Photomatix Pro program, wow, I am having way to much fun! I tried to do what you did here, it was ok, but I needed to do it with a shot like the one you have here!

So, keep 'em coming!

Dec 05, 2009 02:58 AM
Myrl Jeffcoat
GreatWest Realty - Sacramento, CA
Greater Sacramento Real Estate Agent

Mike - A red barn.  A windmill.  A wonderous sky - with perfect double rainbow. . .What's not to love!

Dec 05, 2009 08:57 AM
Mary Douglas
United Country Ponderosa Realty, Red Feather Lakes, Colorado - Red Feather Lakes, CO
REALTOR, Red Feather Lakes, Colorado

Hi Mike, I hope your neighbors got a copy.  What a wonderful photo - double rainbow and all

1

Dec 09, 2009 10:41 AM

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