Category: Travel

An example of HDR travel photography. When ever I travel I try and get off the big freeways and into the small towns on the Blue Highways.  I started photographing Post Offices in the small towns as part of a continuing project. Years ago I would photograph ice cream stands, but not all of America has ice cream stands.  Just about every town has a post office.

On a trip back up from Florida I was in the back roads of North Carolina, found this Post Office in Hot Springs and photographed it.  I noticed a hardware across the street that looks interesting, it was indeed.  This is one of the old time hardwares where they have just about everything you could possibly need with people that work in the store that know how to help you and where to find the stuff to help you.  I walked in, loved it immediately and asked for permission to shoot in the store.  They kindly agreed.  I was intrigued by the texture of the displays and the repeating patterns.  I will typically shoot HDR for the post offices and chose to do it for the hardware.  HDR travel photography is a process of combining 3 to 5 different exposures of the same image and combining them in software.  I did HDR on all these images and then applied a creative color edit to all the images that drained a little color and added sharpness and texture.

Every year I do a bit of travel photography as I head south in a van I drive to Florida for my step Dad.  Each year I try and choose a different route, getting off the Freeway for long stretches and go through the small towns.  I will review the upcoming towns and see if there is an interesting Post Office.  If so I find it and shoot it. I have shot interesting court houses, forestations and other odd buildings in the past.  This trip down in addition to post offices, I shot some used car dealers, fire stations, city halls and a weird pink building.

On other trips I had shot with my Nikon D7100 converted to infrared, but I did not bring it this year.  At every location I shoot a bracket of at least three exposures 2 stops bright, on and 2 stops dark.  I then combine the exposures in Lightroom using the HDR function.  What I get is a slightly enhanced color image with a lot more exposure in the shadows and highlights. I will even shoot a three stop bracket of multiple views, process the HDR for each view and then stitch them into a panorama.

I think this will be a long time continuing project for me.  I like the idea of getting off the busy highway and making a reason to see and visit small town America.  I have found that every community and even some remote outposts have a post office.  If it appears the post office is newer that 20 – 30 years I typically give it a miss.

My wanderlust was inspired by  book I read long ago. Blue Highways by William Least Heat Moon.  He chronicles a cross country trip, partially following the past of Lewis and Clark.  A wonderful read if you like travel books. On the look out for the elusive 4 calendar restaurant.

Panoramic photography of cheap hotel rooms on my travels to Florida.  I make an annual trip to Florida to deliver a van for family.  Instead of staying in typical corporate same as all the other hotel motel chains, I choose to get into small towns and stay in an independent motel.  When I first get in the room I shoot a couple and some details to show the “uniqueness” and charm of independent motels.

The panoramas are made by shooting a series of images rotating the camera a bit every exposure.  The images are stitched together in either Lightroom or Photoshop.  Before stitching I apply developing adjustments for a particular look.