This shot was processed using Photomatix Pro by HDR Soft. This particular image was processed using 3 images (-2 exposure, 0 exposure, +2 exposure) at an aperture of f11. I used a tripod to capture the 3 images so that they were perfectly aligned. Once I got the images into Lightroom, I exported them to Photomatix and used the settings on the right to process the image. Once I had the image processed, I used the correctly exposed image from the series of bracketed photos to paint in some of the exposure that I thought made the photo look better. For example, in this photo I painted back in the sky because of the exposure, color, and clouds.
Although wide angle lenses tend to have good depth of field, I still prefer to shoot with a higher aperture. In this example I shot this image at an aperture of f11. You can definitely get away with shooting more wide open, but if you don’t have a specific reason to do this then I would shoot in the middle of the aperture range for clarity. One of the downsides of shooting with a smaller aperture is that you will need to exposure your images longer. In this image you can see the blur of the flags in the shot due to the longer exposure. I think these types of effects add to the allure of the shot.
Other Tips
I recommend shooting in the morning on the weekend. This will cut down on the traffic and number of people in and around your shot. The city allows free parking on LaSalle Street on the weekends and this can add to the clutter of your shot. The absolute best time to shoot would be in the summer just after dawn when the streets are empty.
How to Get There
Downtown, “The Loop” is very central from almost any neighborhood. My suggestion is to take the Red line to Monroe stop. This will drop you off 3 blocks from the area you will be shooting. You can always take a cab, but this location is not very time sensitive.
