I have chosen to study HDR photography and the photographer I chose to study is a man called Matty Wolin. He uses HDR to make his photos look surreal or have a dark atmosphere, I hope to be able to use some of these techniques in my photos and learn how to take HDR photos professionally. Some of Matty Wolin's work has both large scale and small area photos, for example one of his pieces is a shot of a large city and another the inside of a small derelict room. Except for these differences he uses HDR in all of his photos and each one has the same surreal dark atmosphere which shows the type of style he is going for.
When you first look at this photo your eyes focus on the sun towards the top of the barn and you then see the impact the angle has on the building. From the sun being in this position, it helps emphasise the size of the barn and help it look bigger along with the angle positioning it to look taller. The photo also looks very lonely because there are no other objects around the barn and from the long grass and openness you would think it is in the middle of a field. The HDR gives a surreal feel to the barn and area around it also making the photo look more like a detailed painting than a photograph. The colours are vibrant with a colour pallet of mostly red and green however these two colours contrast well together and the faded red of the barn helps it stand out in the photo.
This photo gives the same effect fish eye gives, you can see this by looking at the steps going into the swimming pool, either fish eye has been used or the water distorts the steps and creates this effect. Your eyes are drawn towards the sun much like the other HDR photos by this photographer so the same idea of the sun being the most prominent part of the photo applies here. It also has the same idea of the sun reaching out to the four corners of the picture, the HDR helps emphasise this by bringing out the sun rays and making them more prominent. The sky looks chaotic in the way the clouds have formed with the light rays breaking through and as if they are trying to escape. There are no people in this photo and hardly any life except for a small green bush in the left side of the photo, this makes the photo very lonely and the only other sign of life is the large umbrella stands which look like people or statues starring out into the sea. The steps, two litter chairs and the statue like umbrella stands remind me of Ancient Greece or Rome which creates a very historic feel. Both the seats and the steps draw you to the sun and especially the steps which look like they are inviting you towards the sky. The colours contrast well between the grey clouds and blue water, this mix of cold colours clashes with the sun's light which is warmer however not a prominent in the picture.
