HDR and digital imaging

Hello hello hello

Everyone knows I like to take photographs .. really..? I do.

I've recently discovered HDR while browsing through stock photography websites. I sat here wondering, how the heck do they make those photos look so vividly amazing and full of detail, contrast and color!?
The answer: High Dynamic Range.

Looking back I wish I had followed through with photography because I'd at least be equipped with the basic tools of digital imaging... aaand since I didn't I've been teaching myself how to make my pics look nicer than straight off the camera. And honestly, a lot of the time there is tons of grey matter and dullness and they don't look pretty at all.

Since I'm not smart as a whip it seems that learning Photoshop has proven to be difficult for me. I still DO NOT understand layers and all the fancy ways to edit out little marks or smudges on the lens. I also don't have youtube. Thanks China for blocking the tools I need to SELF EDUCATE. But I managed to find some video tutorials and step by step guides on how to create an HDR image.

Basically, I took 5 photos all at different levels of exposure and to make a long story short I blended them to take advantage of the full colour scale.

See below my first image.
I don't think HDR is intended for night shots but rather high contrast with dramatic clouds etc etc. But, I will admit that I smiled when I finally finished this project. It's not a fast procedure but now that I've done one, I can build on it.

Click to enlarge

:D