Inspiring pictures

I'm not a purist when it comes to photography. Which means that my stance is that if you think you can take creative license with a photo to make it better - go for it, as long as you indicate that the pictures have been modified. One of the latest crazes to hit the world of photography is HDRI. Without going into the technical details, HDRI dramatically improves the look of a picture by bringing out details that would either be washed out by too much light or left in the shadows by too little light.

The trouble with HDRI is that in the wrong hands, the photographs can look..... contrived. So there is a need for subtle touches sometimes so as not to overwhelm the picture. Of course, it's really a matter of taste. What you might find over the top might prove spectacular to someone else.

I stumbled across this site, where Trey Ratcliff shows off his collection of photos (many of which are for sale as prints), many of which employ this HDRI technique. You can decide for yourself if the icing makes for a better cake. It all looks yummy to me.

Click the portfolio link to see a slideshow of pictures.