This is the first photo that I've processed using the new Aurora HDR software that was just released today... and I'm certainly having fun with it! I had drifted away from HDR after I began using the Google Nik Collection. Clearly, however, Aurora HDR is going to entice me to become involved with HDR a lot more now.
Old habits die hard. Although you can do just about everything in Aurora HDR and no longer need to use Photoshop or Lightroom (it even has layers), I exported this image in Photoshop for some touchup... but that was just a personal choice and not a necessity. Also, I wanted to mention that this is what I term as "realistic HDR." I rendered this as close to what the human eye (yes, my eye) saw at the moment the shot was taken. I could have easily lightened the foreground and brought out more detail, but instead I chose to tone it down (good advice given regarding another image by my cohort's master, Martin Bailey, in the Arcanum.
Aurora HDR is a joint project between Macphun and Trey Ratcliff to produce the finest HDR software in the world, giving you all the tools needed to create breathtaking images. It is currently available for the Mac platform. To learn more about it, go to aurorahdr.com/getstarted/overview-aurora-hdr
I took the shot while visiting the former Robert McClure Snyder's 5,000+ acre estate, now a part of the Ha Ha Tonka State Park in the Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri. At the beginning of the 1900s, Snyder, a prominent Kansas City businessman, began construction of a magnificent European-style mansion or "castle." The stone ruins of the turn-of-the-20th-century castle are just a short hike from this location along the right-hand side of this photo (you can see parts of the ruins in this shot.. look for an arch in the upper right-hand corner along the skyline). More than 15 miles of trails wind through the Ha Ha Tonka State Park, which has sinkholes, natural bridges, caves and an arm of the lake that you see here. The land is situated on the beautiful Lake of the Ozarks, a man-made lake which has over 1,000 miles of shoreline and attracts visitors from throughout the world.
Missouri Legends - Ha Ha Tonka www.legendsofamerica.com/mo-hahatonka.html
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#AuroraHDR
© Stephen L. Frazier - All of my images are protected by copyright and may not be copied, printed, distributed or used on any site, blog, or forum without expressed permission.
Looking for Steve Frazier's main photography website? Visit stevefrazierphotography.com
Contact him at stevefrazierphotography@gmail.com
Tags: Ha Ha Tonka State Park Lake of the Ozarks Missouri MO sunset #AuroraHDR HDR high dynamic range landscape scene scenery beautiful fall autumn Canon EOS 60D Steve Frazier Photography castle ruins
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This view of the Lake of the Ozarks was shot next to Baxter's Lakeside Grille not far from Bagnel Dam on US 54 Business. The Blue Heron Restaurant is on the hillside off to the right. Beyond it in the distance, not visible in the photo, lies the Village of Four Seasons on the Horseshoe Bend Parkway. Located in the heart of the state of Missouri, the Lake of the Ozarks has over 1,150 miles of shoreline... and some beautiful sunsets!
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© Stephen L. Frazier - All of my images are protected by copyright and may not be used on any site, blog, or forum without my permission.
Looking for Steve Frazier's main photography website? Visit stevefrazierphotography.com
Contact me at stevefrazierphotography@gmail.com
Tags: Baxter's Lakeside Grille Lake of the Ozarks Ozarks view scenic scenery landscape waterscape beautiful lake water sunset evening Lake Ozark Steve Frazier Photography Stephen Frazier US 54 Business autumn fall color foliage sky horizon island waves road roadway October 2014 HDR Google Nik Collection Color Efex Pro Photoshop Gazebo couple man woman boat clouds Photomatix high dynamic range vacation wood wooden Camden Camden County MO Missouri sundown silhouette people vista romantic Atlantis Island Hawaiian Island
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On our way back from Ha Ha Tonka State Park to the Lodge of the Four Seasons on the Lake of the Ozarks last September (2014), we pulled off of Highway D in Camdem County, Missouri onto Minnow Brook Estates Road where I took this long exposure shot during sunset.
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View more of Steve's photos in Flickr here.
Looking for Steve Frazier's main photography website? Visit stevefrazierphotography.com
Contact him at stevefrazierphotography@gmail.com
© Stephen L. Frazier - All of my images are protected by copyright and may not be used on any site, blog, or forum without my permission.
Tags: Camden County Lake fo the Ozarks Ha Ha Tonka State Park Highway D Missouri MO September 2014 Steve Frazier Photography Stephen Frazier sunset fall autumn leaves color Minnow Brook Estates Road HDR Photoshop Photomatix lake water reflections lights twilight evening dusk sunset sundown trees hills landscape scenery waterscape pink horizon clouds colorful beautiful Canon 60D Canon EOS 60D
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This is a shot taken on the former Robert McClure Snyder's 5,000+ acre estate, now a part of the Ha Ha Tonka State Park in the Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri. At the beginning of the 1900s, Snyder, who was a wealthy Kansas City businessman, began construction of a magnificent European-style mansion or "castle." The ruins of the castle are just a short hike from this location.
This dead tree overhangs a cliff above a tributary on the Lake of the Ozarks. It is hard to tell without enlarging the image, but there is a trail and wooden bridge on the opposite bank (I actually didn't see it until I was processing the image). It is not the first time that I've discovered something that I didn't originally see when looking through the view finder. :D
This HDR image was created in Photomatix and subsequently processed with the Nik software suite and Photoshop.
PS: Happy New Year to all my Flickr friends!
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View more of Steve's photos in Flickr here.
Looking for Steve Frazier's main photography website? Visit stevefrazierphotography.com
Contact him at stevefrazierphotography@gmail.com
© Stephen L. Frazier - All of my images are protected by copyright and may not be used on any site, blog, or forum without my permission.
Tags: Ha Ha Tonka State Park Ozarks Lake of the Ozarks Missouri bluff fall dead tree cliff lake afternoon Camden County 2014 Steve Frazier Photography Nik Photoshop Photomatix landscape scenery scene beautiful October HDR high dynamic range Canon 60D Canon EOS 60D MO United States USA woodlands
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I was up late last night editing this photo... I probably spent four hours in post processing. In essence, this image is the product of five versions of this same exact scene (the original three bracketed shots consisting of an over-exposed, under-exposed and normal exposure were used to create an HDR image and one then of those three original RAW images was also processed in Lightroom). The two resulting output images (the HDR and Lightroom) were then blended together in Photoshop. (It is a technique that I learned from Trey Ratcliff of "Stuck in Customs" fame.) After backing it up, I posted this to Martin Bailey's cohort in the Arcanum (my thanks to Martin and my fellow cohort members who provided constructive criticism) and decided it was time to move on to other photos. I still have a ton to go through from our recent vacation trip into the Ozarks in Missouri.
This view of the Lake of the Ozarks was shot from a small parking lot/vista point next to Baxter's Lakeside Grille not far from Bagnel Dam on US 54 Business. The Blue Heron Restaurant is visible on the hillside on the right. Beyond it in the distance, not visible in the photo, lies the Village of Four Seasons on the beautiful Horseshoe Bend Parkway. Located in the heart of the state of Missouri, the Lake of the Ozarks has over 1,150 miles of shoreline and attracts vacationers from around the world.
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View more of Steve's photos in Flickr here.
Looking for Steve Frazier's main photography website? Visit stevefrazierphotography.com
Contact him at stevefrazierphotography@gmail.com
© Stephen L. Frazier - All of my images are protected by copyright and may not be used on any site, blog, or forum without my permission.
Tags: Baxter's Lakeside Grille Lake of the Ozarks Ozarks view scenic scenery landscape waterscape beautiful lake water sunset evening Lake Ozark Steve Frazier Photography Stephen Frazier US 54 Business autumn fall color foliage sky horizon island waves road roadway October 2014 HDR Photoshop Photomatix Lightroom Bridge Adobe photographer boats wake motorboats sunshine sun reflection clouds sundown vacation Horseshoe Bend Parkway Pkwy HH Village of Four Seasons Palisades Docks yellow amber skies trees leaves Atlantis Island Hawaiian Island Blue Heron Restaurant nature
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