HDR vs straight shot

I have been messing about with some shots of Doha, and can't decide if I prefer an hdr version (though the water has been blended with one of the original shots)




or this single exposure. The streak in the sky is an aircraft, couldn't decide on whether to remove it.




Any comments appreciated!

The regular version for me (without vapour trail).

And me

Can you HDR the two together????
Regards

The second version looks much better IMHO.

Just wondering the reasons for everyone preferring the straight version. Is it because it looks more real?

Here's anothe hdr version, done in PS (previous version was photmatix)

I too prefer the straight shot. It is very difficult to work with HDR. I do not think it works very well with night shots and/or large scenery. I beleive you need a photo with a lot of detail. The purpose of HDR is not to create a different picture, but a better one than the straight shot, especially with exposure. Take a look at my below picture:

https://www.pentaxuser.com/photo/user-214/everything-shop-16263

You do not know whether it is HDR or not. It took me three hours and more than twenty tries.

I prefer the original because it looks more attractive and the colours don't look so strained. Your second HDR version has lots of blown out highlights and blocked shadows, totally the reverse of what HDR is trying to achieve.

HDR is an attempt to reproduce the darkest and lightest areas in a scene that would normally be outside the dynamic range available.

Your original has better dynamic range...

I like the Hdr shot, but perhaps you could blend with the original whole shot to tone it down a bit. Nice shot!

I prefer the (first) HDR shot too but is is a bit too colourful. I agree that mixing a bit of the original back in to tone it down might do the trick.
However PPing is not my area of expertise..... ( among most other areas for that matter.:shock
I don't like the PS HDR as there are too many blown highlights otherwise it's nearly there.

The singe exposure for me as well. The HDR looks too artificial.

HDR to me is like reverberation in sound control. If you notice the reverb, you have added just too much.

HDR is great for bringing out detail in shadows, but it is soo easily overdone.

I agree with the comments the single exposure for me as well

I prefer the second HDR. It might look a little "artificial," but it's HDR, so no mystery there!

Ray

Thanks for all the comments! Nurkuti, I really like your hdr shot, and no, it does not look like hdr. But, I do sometimes like hdr where it does not look real, depends on the subject. I have to confess that I think I prefer it in this case. And yes, John, I see your point, it is perhaps more suited to subjects with more dynamic range.

I have never had a good hdr from photoshop, there often seems to be blown out highlights, which defeats the object, as John said. I might try blending the first hdr a bit more with one of the original files as Mark D and Pentaxophile suggest.

I am not sure I have completely got the hang of photomatix yet either. Sometimes I find topaz gives a better hdr "feel" than photomatix.

Thanks again for the comments! It's really nice to get feedback and get other peoples opinions and ideas, which are usually much more objective than your own!