I was able to take advantage of the amazing clouds in the Sierra Nevada Mountains recently. One of my favorite vistas is from the ‘The Donner Memorial Bridge’. There is plenty of parking and you can easily hike around the area for great angles. I did have to keep my eye on the clouds as I was set up on granite outcroppings and didn’t want to be a target for a lightning strike. Fortunately for me, the storm was off in the distance while I was shooting. 

With such huge exposure variation, I decided to do some HDR images (High-Dynamic-Range Imaging). Most of the final images were a 5 stop variation. I probably could have been fine with a 3 stop, but I played it safe with 5. 

Once I got the images uploaded to Aperture (yes, I still use Aperture), I did the processing with Nik HDR Efex Pro and then for the black and white conversion I used Silver Efex Pro.

I still see the debate on HDR. For me I’m not a fan when overused and hyper real color is added as it is too much. So HDR still has a place in my bag of tricks. These images are for me and they make me happy..

Happy Clicking!