Just wondering what you guys do to make your HDR photos. I know the gist of how it's done and know of some of the software options, but admittedly I've never done it. The idea of it is fantastic and could really make for some great photos. I'm just wondering what software you guys use, what is your workflow, and do you guys have any tips to making a good HDR image?

Learn how to use slide filters instead of HDR. You won't need to resort to HDR with the right filters, patience, and time to adjust to composing differently. Look at these websites: http://www.marcadamus.com & http://www.towardsthelightphotography.com/

That will give you an idea of what you can do with graduated neutral density filters and a little bit of post work. The photographer in the second URL tends to use a little more post processing, sometimes a blend of bracketed exposures.

I use photomatix for my HDRs, http://flickr.com/photos/stephenkirsh/sets...57603835199291/ (my HDR set). Basically I take 3-5 images in camera using RAW and combine them in photomatix.

Next time I go for an HDR effect, I'm going to try a different method.

I use filters right now...and I will continue to as well. filters can't do everything you can do with HDR though, which is why I want to get into doing HDR.

Have you even taken a look at the work in the first link I posted? That photographer gets the dynamic range with just filters and no HDR. He will do some post work as needed but as little as possibly needed. Hey man, I used to use HDR all of the time but I am slowly realizing that it is a crutch, at least for me. Where I was relying a little more on the software than I was on the composition.

I also like having more usable exposures rather than only having one out of three, and even then it isn't a guarantee that the exposure was nailed. Then it got to the point of taking up to 5 different exposures as the norm to make sure I had more dynamic range. It became more about worrying about filling up a memory card and being more selective with my shots. And then I started to have a lot more misses rather than hits.

If you can use a light meter, a camera, tripod, and a few slide filters... Wow, you can do anything. All you have to do is meter the ground and sky, pick a GND filter to balance them together, and start snapping. Of course, after you set your white balance. You gain a lot more that way.

I'll post a bit of background of myself. I started taking pictures on slr cameras when I was 12. Started doing work for calendar companies and for car shows when I was 18 and have been doing it ever since. I already have quite a few filters (of course I always want more), a few lenses for myself, and access to many more lenses I can use at any time. I know how to take pictures and yes, I will always continue to use filters. I NEVER post process. I honestly don't even know how to. I have been shooting film all this time, so you NEED to get a good shot the first time or you're screwed. I just got my digital and I see the obvious benefits of shooting in HDR. HDR photography doesn't mean you cut out your filter use or anything, it means you take more than one picture (I always bracket anyways so makes no difference when shooting to me. HDR will enable me to fine tune things MUCH more accurately after the fact however. Why would I want to do this? Well, in a film camera you can choose different films for their different color and sharpness qualities. You can't do this with digital, it's all processed after the fact. Where I would once choose Kodak film to get nice yellows and blues, or fuji for reds, and velvia for stunning greens and purples, I can compose in HDR to give the added color range so you can tweak the colors a lot without ruining the pictures. From the limited post-processing I've been doing it's become obvious that there's not enough data in these photos to be able to change some of the colors as much as wanted. This is where HDR will come in.