I was hired by a company representing Groupon to photograph a local hotel for an upcoming Groupon deal (going on now, Monday December 3, for another seven days). I've done Groupon shoots before, and what's interesting is that for venues like this, they always want bracketed shots for HDR. They don't do intense HDR, but they do combine images to show the interior and view through the window, for example.

As this was a local job I just posted the images on my Ashland page, if you care to see the Groupon page in-action.

Personally I was much more interested in taking the photos to an extreme in HDR. For those who know me, you'll know I'm not usually a big fan of HDR and haven't done much of it myself. However this hotel lobby really felt like an image that would turn out well, and I was very pleased with the way it did!

Here are some more examples, and it really showed me a lot about doing intense HDR images. Pointing out flaws in these photos, look for the movement in trees outdoors, amplified streaks on the glass desk, and notice the wrinkles in the bed spreads! I think if I were go to back and shoot this again specifically for this type of HDR, I'd have to have each blanket steamed, the glass meticulously cleaned, and overall put much, much greater attention to detail in setting the scene.

Hover over a photo for a description of what's good and bad about these HDR composites.

Parlor Suite, Entrance to Patio

Notice the clever positioning of the wall mirror, showing the standing wardrobe and coffee station in the reflection. But also notice the extreme wrinkles in the bedspread! This is completely not noticeable in a normal photo, but wow does it come out in the HDR>

Parlor Suite, Entire Room Including Lounge

Here the view goes from the patio back into the room. Notice the open door at the back, showing the second room. This room was several stops darker than the main room, which is why Groupon wants HDR bracketing. If I were to go back and shoot this again specifically for this type of processing, I'd also see about removing the glass cover on the fireplace. Unfortunately now all you see are reflections, however the roaring fire could have been a great element in this scene.

Parlor Suite, Patio

Now outside, again an obvious use of HDR. The sun was blasting directly onto the table, while the chairs were in hard shade. The movement in the trees outside however needs some serious attention. It'd probably be easiest to comp in another exposure manually, I think.

Deluxe Room

Notice in this scene, the wrinkles in the bed again, and also the finger/dust prints on the glass desktop. Also the odd shadows created by the lamp between the two beds just over the headboards is distracting; I'd probably blend that down a bit by hand. I do love the texture in the blue and red headboards though!